Dragon's Eye
by knux33
Summary: Things have become almost normal in the Order again, until Lavi goes looking for Allen and something strange happens to all of the unactivated innocence. It became what? FriendShip Pairings. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

Series: D.Grey-Man (Crossed with) Temeraire series

--

1.

It was a very normal day at the Order. The scientists were groaning at their paperwork, Komui was running away from his, and most of the injured exorcists were finding new and creative ways to get out of their sickbeds without alerting the protective nurses.

"Allen!" A familiar voice rang through the halls.

Lavi had the excuse of looking for one particularly hard to find parasitic type user, Allen Walker. The red head had been looking for the teen in all the usual places: the cafeteria, his room, the library, he had even gone so far as to search the ark. Each location proved as unhelpful as the last, not even Jerry had seen Allen since breakfast. It was nearly three in the afternoon now.

Running out of places to look, a frustrated Lavi decided to ask Lenalee if she had seen the missing exorcist. On his way to her room, Lavi ran into a very agitated Mr. Howard Link.

"Hello Two-pimple," Lavi said quite cheerfully. Link looked like he would be very happy to stab someone at the moment.

Seemingly suppressing the impulse, he asked in a very controlled tone,"Apprentice Bookman, have _you_ seen Allen Walker?" Lavi took from the emphasis that Link must of asked more people before him the exact same question.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same question, seeing as you have guard-dog duty and all."

"I had been taking an after-noon nap while Walker was attempting to finish his paperwork--" Lavi chuckled at that, he had seen the size of the mounds Link had given Allen, and the young exorcist would be lucky to finish half of it by this time next year. "--and when I awoke Mr. Walker appeared to have vacated the premises."

"You take naps?"

"... Apprentice Bookman that has nothing to do with the matter at hand."

"Yeah, Two-pimple but still--"

"Lavi!" Lavi was amused to find the girl he was going to go look for running towards him. "Lavi, have_ you_ seen Allen?"

Lavi would have sighed at the repetition but decided finding Allen was more important than poking fun at Link. "No Lenalee, I haven't. In fact, I had just been on my way to ask you the same question."

"Oh," Lenalee seemed disappointed at the fact. "Its ok, I'll just look--"

"Wait," Lavi said this to both Link and Lenalee, as both had already started moving to look in other places. "We need to think this through, where have you both already looked?"

"Cafeteria," They both chimed at once.

"Well, I've looked there, in his room, and most of the ark--"

"The ark!" Link looked like he had reached his limit with the Bookman. "Access to the ark has been restricted to only scientists, Apprentice Bookman. You should not have been allowed, especially after the level 4 incident--"

"I've looked in Komui's office, the balconies, and the infirmary." Lenalee interrupted.

Howard seemed angered by the reminder to his missing prisoner, and by the interruption of his rant. "I have looked in several other exorcists rooms, the scientists room's, and asked almost everyone, but I have gained no information in that manner."

"Well, it seems to me we haven't looked in either Hevlaska's Chamber, or the Training rooms." Lavi stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Seemingly coming up with a plan of action Lavi turned to address the others. "Lenalee, you check the training rooms and I'll check with Hevlaska. Link, you wait in the cafeteria, there's still a chance Allen just lost track of time and is on his way to lunch. If not that's still where well all meet up once were done searching. Agreed?"

"Agreed," And with that, all three dispersed.

**/DRDRDR/**

"KOMUIII!" Section Chief Reever Wenhamm was not in a very good mood. Then again, when Komui was shirking his work, Reever and the rest of the science department couldn't work on their's. Hence the long line of scientists practically buried under the paperwork they were carrying trailing from Komui's empty office. Some had fallen asleep and were drooling on the top of their stacks while others had decided to lie down before beginning to snore.

Most hadn't had a break in over 48 hours. Reever himself was going on a wobbly 56, soon to be 57. Groaning, he gave in and joined the others on the floor. "If he wants us to work, he'll have to do his share first."

"Yeah," Came groggily from those still active.

"Good nigh' all."

"Yah ..."

Then the only sounds filling the air were soft snores and some gurgling from those trying to sleep and refrain from drowning in their own pooling saliva.

**/DRDRDR/**

"Supervisor Komui..." Allen groaned.

"Yeah Allen?" Komui said in a distracted tone.

"Can I go eat now...?" Allen was currently being looked over by both Hevlaska and Komui, who were trying to see exactly what his innocence's new form was capable of. Unfortunately, they had been at it for hours and Allen was sure that by the volume of his stomach's protests he had missed lunch by now. "Pleeeeese ..."

"Don't worry Allen, were almost done," Looking at his now coal-black arm Allen thought he would rather be eating about twenty-six of Jerry's home made steaks right now instead of having Hevlaska look his arm over.

Though he'd probably eat raw sludge instead of have _Komui_ look his arm over. He still wasn't really over what had happened with Komurin II ...

"Allen! There you are!" Allen was surprised to see Lavi slowly making his way down on a small, hovering, platform. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"We? Has something happened?"

"No, no, I was just looking for you so I could get out of some book-work, thats all. Howard was looking for you to, and he seemed pretty angry to me."

"Oh, yeah," Allen laughed nervously. "Komui just sort of grabbed me and ran--"

"One more thing Allen," Komui inserted himself into the conversation. "If you could just activate your innocence for me?"

"Sure," Allen was almost immediately covered in a white cloak, silver mask hanging behind his head, left hand turning dangerously clawed.

Hevlaska slowly probed different points of the innocence with ghostly tendrils. Lavi suppressed a shiver at the strange sight; as pale as Allen was, he seemed like a undead assassin covered in vines of the underworld. It didn't help that Allen was facing away from him and it looked almost like his silver mask was staring right at him.

Lavi tried to move out of the mask's line of sight without being to obvious, shuffling a little to the left. The mask seemed to continue to stare at him no matter how he shifted his position, causing Lavi to breakout in goosebumps as it seemed to follow him even when he was next to Allen instead of behind him. At this point Komui also noticed the masks uncanny movements.

"Allen," Komui asked, surprising Lavi by keeping his voice from shaking even when he had turned very pale beneath his hat. "Does your mask often--" Lavi heard Komui swallow nervously, then start again, "Does your innocence often control you?"

Lavi snapped his head around, gaping at the supervisor. Allen stared in surprise and Hevlaska paused for a moment, just a moment, on her examination before resuming.

Allen laughed, though it sounded to Lavi like it was forced, and said "What makes you think that Komui?"

"Allen Walker," Komui was obviously in a no-nonsense mood. "During the battle with the level 4 akuma I observed that your were barely conscious throughout the beginning of the battle, and when you obviously shouldn't and couldn't have possibly been able to get back up your innocence pushed you to move, so I'll ask again Allen; does your innocence often control you?"

Silence. The white haired exorcist slowly withdrew his smile, his eyes falling downward. The mask moved to parallel Allen's face, almost looking like it was laughing at them.

Lavi didn't miss how the contrast of the smiling mask and Allen's soft frown seemed to show the comedy and tragedy masks used in old Athens, Greece. The masks had been a symbol for _theatre_. Now it was called called theater.

"Allen..." Lavi didn't like to push the kid, especially after so much had happened, when there were still so many unanswered questions in the air, but he new he had to do it. " ...please answer the question."

Slowly Allen looked up into their eyes, looking from Komui to Lavi, questioningly. Almost as if he was asking if he could really trust them with this knowledge. It struck the Bookman then how young Allen really was, and how he had lived through more tragedy than most people twice his age had. Lavi then remembered that he was scarcely four years older than Allen himself.

Then he remembered that the same could be said for most of the Order. Lavi tried to look as trusting as possible to Allen; this wasn't something he should keep bottled up, especially when he had so many friends willing and ready to listen and help.

Finally, Allen drew in a breath to speak and--

Hevlaska abruptly pulled herself back from the platform and hastily pulled herself from Allen, who almost fell flat on his face from the removed force.

"Hevlaska!" Komui ran to the side of the platform while Lavi helped to steady Allen. He saw Hevlaska writhing down below the platform, as if in pain. "Hevlaska, whats wrong!?"

"...the inno--," Her massive weaving body constricted and then started weaving again. "-- cence..."

Komui franticly grabbed at his ear communicator. "Reever!"

Lavi and Allen looked down in horror and shock as Hevlaska's ghostly serpentine body twisted and constricted around its base were all the inactive innocence was stored, and the small holes seemed to glow fiendishly red compared the Hevlaska's weak white body.

"Reever, _come in now_!"

**/DRDRDR/**

"Reever!"

_Go away_, the named scientist thought grumpily, _can't you see I'm sleeping?_

"Reever, _come in now_!" Reever woke with a jolt and looked around in panic. All he saw was sleeping scientists curled in around the mounds of paperwork. Johnny Gill, his overly huge glasses askew, seemed to be using the many mounds around him as a bed.

Reever rubbed the back of his neck gingerly, only to hear it crack as he moved it. He winced at the sore muscles he had gotten on his upper and lower back from sleeping in such a position on the floor. He looked slowly around, looking for Komui.

He could have sworn he had heard--

"_Reever come in this instant!_"He flinched when the new ear communicator screamed at him. Yep, definitely Komui. He brought his hand up to activate the recorder for a return message. "I'm here Section Leader, whats the problem?"

"Reever, bring the science department to Hevlaska's chamber _now_; there is something seriously wrong. Bring all possibly necessary equipment."

Reever blinked, sleep still clogging his mind. "But what's the problem Sec--"

"BRING EVERYONE DOWN HERE NOW!" The last shout not only blew Reever's left eardrum out, it also awoke most of the nearby scientists.

Jumping to his feet Reever awoke completely and began shoving all those near to him in the direction of the platforms and stairs to Hevlaska's chamber. "Up up! Everyone up! Get yourselves to Hevlaska's chamber _now_! Bring all needed equipment!"

He then moved himself on top of one the stabler looking stacks of paper and shouted, "Abandon paperwork, to Hevlaska's chamber immediately!" His voice as strong as a sea captain's all heard, got the message and abandoned their waiting posts and flowed out to the nearest downward stairwell.

Satisfied that everyone was moving, Reever joined the mad rush and made his way down to the bowels of the Black Order's Headquarters; where all captured and unused innocence resided.

**/DRDRDR/**

As the first scientists trickled down from above Allen and Lavi quickly got off of the main platform and moved to watch the proceedings from a distance on one of the metal pathways along the walls. Soon there were so many scientists it almost seemed like they were swarming like ants around Hevlaska and the monitoring computers set around on other places of the lining metal pathways.

They seemed to be doing everything to find the source of the disturbance. Hevlaska spoke once more, "...the innocence ... activating..." Reever and Komui directed the rest of the stunned scientists to work at a faster, but more controlled pace. They seemed to call franticly to one another, conveying all found information.

"--The temperature down in the pit is rising to dangerous levels--"

"--The innocence is melting down there!--"

"--Quick, open the flood piping--"

"--The gates are sealed shut! Its to damn hot down there--"

As Hevlaska seemed to continue convulsing at an alarmingly faster pace, she stopped speaking beyond pained whimpers. Lavi, even with his Bookman eye, could no longer see where he 'face' began and her 'body' ended. Allen had long since deactivated his Crown Clown, looking down with wide wondering eyes.

Then Hevlaska screamed. All activity stopped and Lavi brought his hands to his head; trying in vain, like everyone around him, to block out the horrible screeching sound. Lavi fell to his knees, Allen trying fruitlessly to stay standing but only ending up falling more painfully to the floor.

Lavi saw with shock that some of the scientists closer to Hevlaska had their ears bleeding. For what seemed an eternity Hevlaska kept screaming, some of the scientists joined her as they felt horrible pain knifing through their brains, while some lucky ones just keeled over in a dead faint. Or just plain dead. Lavi couldn't move for his life to check on the motionless, trying hard to stay conscious himself.

And then it stopped. Lavi almost missed the exact moment, his ears still ringing with the antagonizing sound; but as some scientists hesitantly removed their hands, many now smeared with blood, Lavi removed his own hands and rose from his kneeling position, wincing as the blood rushing back to his legs brought on pins and needles.

Allen slowly followed suit. Komui and Reeve quickly tried to bring back order, calling out for the status of Hevlaska below. The scientists that had been farther away quickly called out that the temperature was now steady at about 90 degrees and that the innocence seemed stabilized.

The two exorcists, along with most of the science department, peered down below. Allen gasped, and the entire room seemed to gather in a breath. Hevlaska was twisted in on herself, looking no worse for ware but below her where the innocence had once resided was more a large brood of pearly white eggs.

End 1.

AN: This is just the beginning, I have already finished the next five chapters. I will add chapter two next Saturday. Unless a LARGE amount of Reviews persuades me to do otherwise. Please, comments of any kind are appreciated.

-Knux33


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

2.

"Allen!" Lenalee called throughout the training rooms, causing several practicing Finders and exorcists to pause in mid-workout. "Have any of you seen Allen?" Most shook their heads at the cute girl while others shrugged in a apologizing fashion.

She ran further into the training area, searching for the tell-tale sign of white hair and gray eyes. "Allen!"

Further on in she spotted not the missing English boy, but a familiar dark haired Japanese exorcist. "Kanda!" She called out loudly, causing Kanda to give her a very cold stare. Ignoring the exorcist's usual attitude Lenalee ran up and asked as she had the last dozen or so, "Have you seen Allen, Kanda?"

With an annoyed 'che' Kanda turned around and went back to doing his best to smash a training bag into pieces, succeeding as sand began to poor out of several tears in the bag that hadn't been there moments before.

After staring for a moment, Lenalee asked, "Would you like to help me find him?"With an even louder 'che,' Kanda gave one final driving punch into the sandbag, causing the bottom to fall out and sand to explode into a cloud around him.

Turning his back to the coughing Lenalee, the older exorcist stomped off to the showers. Despite the difficulty breathing Lenalee smiled. "I'll take that as a 'yes' Kanda!" She called after him, much to the amusement of the older members sweating at their own work an to Kanda's own dismay.

**/DRDRDR/**

Miranda Lotto wasn't the type to stand out. In fact, she was the type that took pains to blend into the background when her powers weren't specifically needed. Hence the fact that as the other exorcists were finding ways _out _of the infirmary, she was the only one taking pains to stay_ in_.

As everyone else seemed to have found there own ways of stretching their legs, Miranda found herself very much alone in the lonely serialized space of the hospital-like rooms. Well, alone except for one Arystar Krory the Third, but he didn't seemed inclined to talking, since he seemed to be in a coma. He had been for a while now, but that didn't make him any less creepy to Miranda, who didn't like the way his fangs seemed to protrude from his thin lips when the infirmary staff injected him with his almost hourly nutrients.

Right now was his after-lunch dose of calcium, important for his parasitic teeth that needed to be kept in top condition ... and used to build strong bones.

Miranda really wanted to leave the creepy vampire's presence, but she was worried that something might happen to him all alone, seeing as most of the staff were on lunch break and every other patent had taken the chance to run off to wherever they wanted to go. So with a growing sense of doom that usually happened before she was fired from one of her many failed jobs, Miranda sat down next to Arystar's bed and stared out a nearby window, trying really hard not to look at the peeking teeth or listen to his growling stomach that sounded like it was threatening to eat her...

**/DRDRDR/**

Lenalee looked quite happy, almost skipping as she made her way the the cafeteria where Lavi had said to meet. Kanda, on the other hand, seemed to look like he wanted to cut someone into very, _very_, small pieces.

Ignoring the silent exorcist next to her, Lenalee began talking to him as if he didn't look like the grim reaper in a very bad mood, "Well Kanda, if you haven't seen Allen, have you seem my brother?"

Looking away from glaring a very scared finder, Kanda shook his head in a negative and went back to seeing how long those walking by dared to look him in the eyes until they looked away or stupidly walked into something solid.

"Oh," Lenalee looked disappointed for a moment, then went back to unloading her worries onto the silent exorcist she had known and trusted since a young age to keep an ear open and that was always ready to give short, but helpful answers in advice. "Well, I was looking for Allen in his office this morning but neither he or Komui was their, and the scientists outside had seemed to be waiting for a long time."

Thinking for a moment, she added with narrowed eyes, "I hope Komui isn't bothering Allen about his innocence; I know after mine changed he and Hevlaska looked and poked at it for_ever_, and Komui just kept saying 'just one more little thing,' and before I knew it he had me down their for _eight hole hours_,"

Having reached the doors to the cafeteria, Lenalee smile at Kanda, "Thank you for listening."

All she got, and expected, was a 'che,' and some muttering about 'chattering females,' before they made their way into the large eating area. Quickly spotting Link sitting alone Lenalee lead Kanda to the table. As they made their way over, Lenalee had the passing thought of , _Lavi shouldn't take too long_, before a screaming wail brought her, Kanda, and everyone else in the room to a painful standstill.

**/DRDRDR/**

_I'll just go now_. Miranda tried to lie to herself. _Yep, I'll be taking a step out that door ... now_?

Failing in trying to persuade herself to leave, poor Miranda shuffled miserably back to her seat next to the unresponsive, and all the more scary, Arystar Krory. Moaning in self pity, Miranda brought her head to her hands dejectedly, only to find it was a very good thing that she did so when it sounded like the time her neighbor's wife found out the truth about her husband's 'Saturday night entertainment' magnified by about ten thousand.

**/DRDRDR/**

"What ..." Allen seemed unable to finish his question, but with the whole of the science department gazing down with mouthes gapping, close to all of them at a loss for any words at all, Lavi thought Allen had them beat with one able word at a time like this.

Clearing his throat, Komui drew everyone's attention back to business. Reever backing him up with some hasty orders. Soon the few scientists that had passed out were being ferried up to the nearest infirmary, Lavi was relived to see them still breathing, along with those still bleeding from their ears. Though Komui and Reever had been two of the closest to Hevlaska and were also blood covered, they seemed automatically exempt from immediate rest and recovery.

Slowly gripping the railing of the metal pathway, Lavi hesitantly moved to get a better look at the eggs, now resting where the innocence once had. Working far more quickly that the average human eye, Lave counted around fifty glossy white spheres bellow, close to the number of innocence that had been down there before the commotion.

"Can anyone get the water pumping to lower the temperature down there?" One scientist called out to his fellows.

"No!" Reever yelled out over the raised voices of so many scientists. Many stopped what they were doing and before long there was silence once more. "Don't do anything rashly. We don't know whats happened yet, we need to gather enough data before changing any unknown variables and messing with unstable substances. Just try to gather all the data you can for now."

"Yes section chief Reever!" Rang out and all the unhurt scientists got back to their monitoring stations quietly. Komui and Reever got to work almost before the echo had died from the shot and began mumbling hypothesis' and possible conclusions to the strange occurrence to one another.

Allen joined Lavi closer to the railing, gray eyes gazing down, almost in awe. "Do you think those could really be eggs?" Lavi looked up curiously at Allen's hopeful tone.

"Maybe," Lavi said uncertainly. "Or they could just be innocence in a different package."

Allen looked uncertainly back at him. "What would the difference be?"

**/DRDRDR/**

After the sound had finally stopped, Lenalee slowly got up from her fallen position on the floor and took stock of her surroundings, feeling like an earthquake had just shook the tower from the top down to the very core. It looked like Kanda had managed to remain standing through the ordeal, while Link had thrown himself under the table he had been sitting at. He seemed self conscious as he got up and briskly rubbled the non-existent dust of off his coat.

Looking around, Lenalee saw that no one seemed hurt besides the occasional bruise from falling unexpectedly. Kanda and Lenalee slowly made their way over to Howard; stepping as carefully as if there might be land mines planted on the cafeteria floor.

"What was _that?_" Link croaked out; seemingly shaken.

"You think _we_ know?" Kanda answered gruffly back, startling Howard with his cold, unrespectful tone. The inspector sneered distastefully at the exorcist, only making Kanda glare back.

Lenalee, seeing a battle a mile away, tried to intervene. "Do either of you think that came from downstairs?"

Looking confused at the statement Link answered, "Why yes Ms. Lee. I do believe that did come from below."

Kanda only gave her a confirming look.

Deciding to end a war before it began, Lenalee suggested all three of them going down to the lower floors of the Order to look for Lavi; where the damage could have been worse. Kanda agreed to going while Link determinedly sat down, stating that he was to remain here to wait for all of them. And if Allen Walker wasn't accompanying them along with Lavi upon their return, that he would report this as a serious stroke against Allen in is coming heresy case.

Kanda could almost see Lenalee measuring the distance between the 'special inspector's' head and her foot. Abruptly deciding to stop Lenalee from doing something stupid, Kanda began waking towards the exit; forcing Lenalee to follow by grabbing her arm securely.

Once out of the cafeteria and one their way Kanda released the girl and they both started on an unusually quiet trip down into the depths of the Order.

After a few floors, Lenalee began speaking again, though more quietly than before with none of the usual cheerfulness. "I don't know why you didn't let me bash his head in." She said almost as if commenting the weather. "It always seems to knock some sense into my brother when he's acting like his skull is as thick as some of his own robot's manuals."

"I stopped you because it wouldn't of done you _or_ Allen a bit of good." Kanda said, almost surprising Lenalee into walking into a wall. Looking at her seriously he said icily, "But if you _dare_ to tell bean sprout a word of that I'll cut you into so many pieces even your sister-complex brother wouldn't be able to put you back together again."

Lenalee smiled at the stubborn exorcist and kept that smile on her face for a long way down--

Until they ran into the scientists being dragged bodily up the stairs by the panicked nursing staff and rushed to the informatory.

**/DRDRDR/**

Miranda wasn't sure on as to how she had gotten on top of Mr. vampire-in-a-coma, but what she did know was that she wanted to get off him right, _now_. Getting up she was ashamed to see her arm had fallen across the man's face. "Oh, sorry,sorry--" She began as she slowly got up, but was confused when her arm didn't come up with her. Looking closer, she saw her limb had somehow jammed itself into his mouth. Growing very pale, she profusely apologized while trying to yank her arm out.

Then she saw why it hadn't wanted to come out. Removing her arm she saw two very small puncture holes in her pale skin. When blood started flowing dully from the wound, she slowly turned her eyes, to the now-not-so-out-of-it vampire. With dark depressed eyes staring at her from the hollow looking holes on his face, he spat out the blood that had been in his mouth and said in a very deflated manner, "Eliade ..."

And with that Miranda screamed, then fell over in a dead faint. Arystar Krory the Third lay there, contemplating his growling stomach, and decided that if he had died and gone to heaven, he wouldn't be this hungry and the blood wouldn't have tasted quite so bad; even if he _had_ half expected the angels to scream and faint.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi was at loathe to leave Hevlaska's Chamber, even if he did need to get Allen back to his watch-dog. The area was a hive of activity, and even when the scientists weren't shouting all of their discoveries aloud Lavi found he could just stand there and stare at the perfect-looking porcelain eggs for indefinite amounts of time, Allen standing next to him with as much awe for the small round objects then he had the first time he saw them.

But what brought them out of their stupor was a very determined looking Lenalee walking on air with a very angry looking demeanor cloaking her as she seemed to stomp towards her distracted brother. Both exorcists and most of the science team stopped what they were doing to watch the show.

"Brother." Komui looked around and a very silly look of unbridled joy swept across his face.

"Lenalee! Thank goodness your ok!" He seemed to looked her over for and bumps or bruises and, spotting one small (Almost none existent) bruise on her left arm went straight into typical Komui histarics over his 'precious Lenalee.' "Lenalee, your poor arm! Quick, we must get you to the infirmary at once!"

Lenalee looked narrowly at his and Reever's blood smears trailing from their ears down to their shoulders, and how both of them seemed to need to hold on to the computer they were working on to stand up straight.

"No Komui." His little sister said, surprising everyone, that is, almost the entire science department plus a few exorcists, "You have got to go to the infirmary _now_."

"But Lenaleeee," Komui said, sounding very much like a small child, "This is really important! Look, right down there--!"

"No brother, you and Reever are coming with me right now." That said, she forcibly grabbed her brother and Reever, ignoring his protests of 'What did _I _do?' and carrying them in a very swift manner up and away.

There was a stunned silence for a moment, before all activity resumed with out the department heads; the scientists talking quietly amongst themselves with a few chuckles here and there. Allen and Lavi both tried to stifle down howls of laughter at the looks on both Komui and Reever's faces. That is, before they noticed Kanda glowering at them from behind. Slowly the two turned their heads, caught.

"Hello Yuu!" Lavi said, letting some laughter slip. "How kind of you to join us!"

"Lavi, Bean sprout."

"Its _Allen_."

"Che," Kanda glared darkly. "Whatever the title you're still just a puny little bean sprout."

Allen glared darkly back, a twisted smile growing, "Well then--"

"Wait, wait you guys!" Lavi said, trying to keep the delicate peace. Watching the scientists turning away form their work to watch. "Don't we have to get back to the cafeteria?"

As if hearing the sound of a race horn, Allen was off and running; reminded of his heavily delayed lunch. Kanda stared after him for a bit, then turned to glare at Lavi.

"Well Yu?" Lavi said, plastering a ridiculous grin on his face. "If you don't beat him there, I'd say at this late lunch hour most of the soba is gone; and once Allen gets up there--"

Kanda instinctively grabbed at the sword, Mugen, that no longer rested at his hip, most of the scientists being buried in paperwork or far to busy to finish fixing it, and gave Lavi a glare that sent chills down his spine before running to the stairs. Lavi sighed and looked at spot on his belt where is own hammer usually hung. Stretching out his arms he made his way lazily up the stairs, following his friends at a more leisurely pace.

But not before having one last curious look at the eggs huddling down below.

**/DRDRDR/**

The young German exorcist Miranda Lotto awoke feeling vaguely out of sorts, wondering when exactly she had went to bed. And then she remembered, and it almost set her off screaming again. Gulping the impulse down, she saw that they had placed her in the bed closest to Arystar, and it probably had something to do with the fact that the infirmary was now full to the brim with groaning invalids. Miranda looked around, spotting a complaining Komui and Reever being tied down to their beds.

Blinking at the strange, but not so strange, sight for a moment she turned to look back the Krory and found that Lenalee was sitting beside him and speaking very softly, while he nodded every once and a while and devoured large amounts of food from a nearby plate. Miranda thought the girl must be filling him in on all the things he had missed while he had been unconscious.

Turning her head back to the more active end of the room she saw that most of the patients were scientists; most were active and talking excitedly to one another while disgruntled nurses were wiping blood from their ears and checking them with various medical instruments.

Slowly, Miranda eased herself up into an upright position and tried to get out of the bed she was sure someone else needed. That is, until the head nurse pushed her forcibly back down again. Miranda shrunk away from the older woman's steely glare, "You are not to move from this bed unless I say so, _understood_?" She pointedly glanced over at the immobilized Komui and Reever.

"Y-yes mam," Miranda squeaked. Satisfied, the nurse moved on to Komui's bed, since he was obliviously the bigger problem as he had started to determinedly gnaw at his leather restraints.

Quite a few of the doctors and their wards turn their attention to watch the growing spectacle.

"I. Have. To. Work," Komui said while trying to both gnaw and stare down the head nurse at the same time.

"You are going to stay _right here_ until we clean you up and you get some rest Supervisor." The nurse said in a very no nonsense tone. Komui continued chewing. "And stop chewing on the leather please."

"Why, should, I?" Komui said stubbornly. With a smile the nurse informed him then he didn't know who else had chewed on it, bled on it, emptied their stomach contents onto it...

With a look of disgust the Supervisor gave up on his plan of escape and lay there miserably, moaning at Lenalee to save him from 'Mrs. Hitler-Nurse.' Miranda saw out of the corner of her eye that Lenalee just smiled and continued talking to Krory.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen Walker was having quite a time trying to eat his late lunch, ignore Link's ranting, and Kanda's angry glaring at him for devouring the last of the soba before he got there. Then Lavi waked up and he knew he was never going to eat in peace.

"Well Yuu?" Lavi asked, smiling. Kanda just glared at him. "Looks like you missed out on your lunch," Lavi said, adding wood to the fire. Kanda went back to staring at Allen's mound of food, seemingly trying to ignore the Apprentice Bookman.

"But thats ok, 'cause I've got something very important to tell you, Yuu." Lavi, looking serious now cleared his throat. Kanda continued to ignore him. Whispering loudly, Lavi said to Kanda, "Hevlaska's a _girl,_ Kanda."

Looking over exasperated at Lavi, Kanda looked like he was ready to tear out his jabbering jaw. Lavi smiled widely and called through out the cafeteria, "Hevlaska's a mommy!"Causing many to turn and stare dumbly back at him.

"I can only wonder who the father is--" But Lavi didn't get a chance to voice his speculations, because at that point Kanda pounced. Jumping nimbly away Lavi the rabbit ran and the enraged hound followed.

Allen watched the chase for a moment, then got back to eating. Link sat there very quietly for a while, apparently at a loss for words, and for that Allen was very grateful.

End 2.

AN: This chapter really just elaborated on the first, but I think it was needed. Because of the kind reviewers (**artist-girl731**, **addenza**, and **Kayday**) I have decided to be kind and put the second chapter up on this Sunday instead of the next Saturday.

I may even put chapter three up on Wendsday_ if_ at least 4 people review this chapter.

I would like you all (The ones that just did story alert/fav _without_ reviewing) to know I love the appreciation to my work. But I will not mention you by screenname like I did those above _unless you review_!

Now for the personal thank-yous to the first three to review this story!

**artist-girl731**: As you can see, I DID update soon! (Plate full of cookies for First Review!)

**addenza**: Thank you for the advice of keeping my fic strictly friendship! I think it will probably stay that way, just because that way _everyone_ can luvz Allen... (Two cookies and a bunch of candys for second Review!)

**Kayday**: Thank you very much for the Review that got me to update so fast. (So many capital letters...) Plus, I really hope this stops you from imploding... (A Cookies plus some candy for third Review!)

Congrats you three, you all got me to update faster. Now if I could only finish ch 7 today on schedule...oh yeah, I'm going for writing a chapter a day until this is finished, so I really can update fast if you all get your friends, or the other 70 people that read this, to review.

I AM open to Anonymous Reviews, if that will help any.

See you again either Wensday or Saturday, your choice.

-Knux33


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

3.

Exorcist Yuu Kanda watched from a distance as several scientists and a few finders poked and prodded at the eggs on the ground, attaching suction disk-like objects carefully to the eggs and hooking them up to monitoring machines. Looking at the eggs, Kanda put on a familiar scowl. He didn't know what had happened to the innocence, or what caused it to be this way, but he as sure as hell did not like it one soba-noodle sized bit.

Lavi and Bookman were talking quietly to one another, maybe trading ideas on what could have possibly happened to cause this. And it hadn't only happened to the innocence Hevlaska had been keeping.

The Generals had come in earlier looking for the whole of the missing science department; asking for them to kindly explain why they had eggs now residing in pockets that had once held innocence. Well, Generals Froi Tiedoll and Klaud Nine asked. General Sokaro Winters _demanded_ to know.

The scientists told them all they could, which was sadly not very much, and asked them to leave their innocence here, so they could hopefully study the reasons why the innocence changed in such a dramatic way. The disgruntled Generals left, though Tiedoll seemed unabashed by such a sketchy explanation, saying quite cheerfully that he already had a new apprentice, Chaoji Han, to train anyway.

General Winters appeared almost the polar opposite, raging at the morons to work 'pretty damn fast,' or else he would do something to them involving some very sharp objects, while Nine apologized to the scientist, saying he was just angry because he had no apprentices or exorcists left to train.

Kanda snorted to himself at the irony of General Tiedoll having the least decimated team out of all four generals. Not counting General Cross, who seemed to have only bean sprout. His attention was drawn away from his thoughts as a great clamor went up around the eggs.

"What happened?" He asked Lavi.

"No idea," Lavi grabbed a passing scientist and asked.

"We've confirmed that all the innocence is active." The exorcists blinked.

"All of it?" Lavi repeated. Looking down at the eggs, he noticed that some were now bigger that others, going from the size of ostrich eggs to the size of basketballs.

"All of it," the scientist confirmed grimly, scuttling off in the direction of a nearby computer.

Lavi turned to Bookman and they began conversing to themselves, seemingly not caring that Kanda was standing within easy hearing distance.

"How can all of the innocence possibly be active? Each one requires a specific host with synchronizing ability, and last time I checked none of the innocence had shown signs of wanting to activate spontaneously--"

"Right, but we can hardly boast knowledge of all the aspects of innocence now can we? Stop and think like a Bookman apprentice, not like an exorcist Lavi." Bookman scolded the teen. "We are here to gather information, and that is what we shall do." Bookman stalked off, seemingly disappointed with his apprentice, and began quietly questioning scientists.

Kanda watched Lavi stand there for a moment, as still as stone, before he to walked off. Going to the stairwell and walking steadily downward, he made his way to were the eggs were, Kanda following silently. Lavi did not object.

**/DRDRDR/**

Miranda was trying very hard not to move. In seemingly no time at all, most of the injured scientists were released from the ward and free to go to their own rooms. Leaving her, a sleeping Reever, an angry Komui, the cheerful Lenalee, and one seriously depressed vampire. Apparently her laying limply on the hospital bed had given the others the impression that she was asleep.

They were talking quite loudly, and she was ashamed to be eavesdropping, but Miranda was far to scared to ask them to speak more quietly; as if she deserved the peace. Which she knew very well that she did _not_.

"Lenaleeeeeee," Komui whined. "Let me ooooout," He wiggled weakly under the bed sheets.

Lenalee called over from her spot between Miranda and Krory, "Big brother you are staying in that spot until the nurses say you can go. You might as well get some rest like Reever."

The said head of the science department had a very obvious trail of drool coming out of the edge of his mouth to form a shallow pool on his pillow. Komui stared for a moment, then went back to whining at Lenalee.

Seemingly ignoring her brother's moaning, Lenalee went back to talking to Krory. Miranda was ashamed that she could hear every word as they were now talking closer to her bed.

"Don't worry Krory!" Lenalee said, "You couldn't have possibly known that headquarters was under attack!"

"But I should have at least been able to _help_!" Miranda almost squeaked when she heard the thick Romanian accent. "Is everyone ok?"

Miranda pictured Lenalee's sad face in the silence. "A lot of the scientists are dead."

Miranda thought sadly of the remaining work staff. Because they were so poorly manned almost all the scientists had to work almost triple what they had before, and had to get back on their feet quickly if hurt or overexerted. Today was a very good example; most of the scientists had got nothing more than a half-hours rest and their ears bandaged up before they had to go straight back down to Hevlaska's Chamber, to figure out for the rest of the Order exactly what had happened.

Miranda was pulled out of her sad thoughts when she heard Lenalee get up and start moving her brother's bed.

"Oh thank-you Lenalee! Now you don't have to move the entire bed, you just have to loosen the straps and--"

"I'm not letting you out brother."

"..."

"I'm going to put you in your room where you can get some sleep."

"But Lenalee--!"

"No buts, I'm going to sit right there next to you until you do."

"What if I don't--?"

Miranda was glad the siblings moved out of hearing range before Lenalee answered the question. But then the woman realized that she was alone; with only the out-cold Reever and the now-active akuma blood drinker.

Paling to the color of her sheets, Miranda kept her eyes firmly closed, and tried desperately to look like she wasn't hyperventilating ... which she was. So Miranda lay there on the lumpy infirmary mattress, nerves stretched as tight as a bow string.

Reever lay in his bed, dead to the world, his body getting some much needed rest, dreaming about possible solutions to all the headquarters many problems.

Krory lay in his depression, quietly snarfing down the mound of food that lay nearby, his body getting some much needed nutrients and activity.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen was very tired of having three shadows. One on the floor, one trailing closely behind him in a very bad mood and the last staring back at him from all reflective surfaces. As Allen wished for the extra two to go away, he knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Allen and Link were on their way to Hevlaska's Chamber, because Howard wanted to see what all the commotion was about. Allen didn't mind going back, he found it fun to watch the scientists talk so excitedly to one another. They haven't been this happy to work sense ... well, sense they lost so many to the akuma invasion.

What Allen _did_ mind was Link looking at everything with bored, indifferent eyes; especially when they came upon the amazing sight of the white, oval shaped eggs seeming to glow brighter than even the silent Hevlaska in the gloom.

As Allen gripped the railing, looking at the unmistakably special objects, he saw how Howard let his gaze hold for one uninterested moment before looking around at the gathered scientists with a look of obvious displeasure at the use of so much man power.

Ignoring Link, Allen looked back down at the eggs he had stared so much at earlier that day only to find Lavi and Kanda down amongst the large brood. Surprised that anyone was allowed near such fragile looking things, Allen quickly made his way to the stairs leading to the lowest part of Hevlaska's Chamber, not waiting up for his most annoying shadow to catch up before going down, practically jumping down the steps.

When he reached bottom Allen hit the ground running and made his way through the swarming scientists to where Kanda and Lavi seemed to be watching the proceedings away from the many flows of activity. Allen couldn't help but feel a strong unease at the sight of so many machines hooked up to such natural beauty. Panting, he jogged the last clear stretch to his two friends. Lavi turned to him while Kanda took to staring at a lone egg near his feet unattached to any machinery.

"What are they doing?" He asked, trying not to sound to uncomfortable.

Lavi looked over at him, apparently a bit worried, before he saw Link bulldozing his way to them through several scientists. Plainly blaming Allen's anxiety on the inspector's continued presence, Lavi said, "Their trying to see exactly what made every single piece of inactive innocence activate."

Allen looked questioningly at the young Bookman, ignoring Kanda as much as he was ignoring him. "Its all active?"

"Yeah," Lavi agitatedly looked at the eggs he had once seen as almost supernatural, now diminished to nothing more than a problem to be solved. "The scientists can't make heads or tails of it."

Howard, finally free of the sea of workers, walked up to them; very out of breath. Once recovered he looked up to glare at Allen. When that had no immediate effect, he sucked in a large lungful of air, ready to give a very stern reprimand when--

An egg rocked. The movement was very slight and if you hadn't been watching for it the movement could of easily been missed completely. But as all three exorcists were looking directly down at it, and it being the nearest egg to them, they saw the saying motion. The basketball sized orb wiggled, as if for attention.

It sure got it.

The pandemonium of noise silenced itself almost before the first movement had stopped. Kanda stood staring, for a rare moment shocked, unable to move. Lavi and Howard looked astounded as the egg rocked again, harder. Allen couldn't withhold the glee from his face as he saw the shell move and begin to crack as the life inside became impatient to get out. And the scientists ... well--

What can I say? Scientists are for observation and calculation, not for miracles of life. Thats doctors. Maybe thats why when the first egg began to split and open, juices oozing out through the ever widening rifts, everyone just sort of froze and stood dazed while a small scaly claw fought its way free, then another, and a small jet-black snout the size of a person's thumb-joint burst forth.

Then the rocking increased tenfold, and the shell broke apart in fragments, revealing a small, panting, dragon the size of a large cat.

Far too shocked to remain standing still, some of the scientists walked cautiously forward, looking at the tiny scales no bigger that a human pinkly nail, and wet wings made of membrane stretched out on the floor to dry. At the steady temperature of around 90 degrees, they did that very quickly, the small mythical beast looking very content in the warm climate that had all those shock-still sweating profusely.

The little beast had its eyes sealed shut by the still-present egg goop but it sniffed very enthusiastically at Kanda's feet. Slowly, and a bit wobbly on its new four legs, the small black reptile made its way closer to Kanda's legs and once there, climbed quite vigorously up his pants and onto his shirt before half of them had realized what it was doing.

Kanda didn't move an inch. To Allen, it almost looked like he had stopped breathing.

Feeling its way up the lizard stopped halfway up Kanda's back to wipe the mucus off it's face onto the back of Kanda's shirt. Still the swordsman did not move. Eyelids now clear, the small dragon climbed up and perched on Kanda's shoulder, slowly opening its eyes to the world for the first time.

Its gaze was met with several gasps and self contained screams of several scientists, for its eyes looked nothing like they should have.

The area of the eye that was usually white was a deep black, and the irises a bright contrasting milk-white. But the most gut wrenching part was the cat-like pupil that was a shifting, cloudy gray.

Blinking at their stunned faces the little black lizard turn from the crowd to stare at Allen's amazed face, Howard's panicked look, and Lavi's one green, analyzing, Bookman eye. Now looking very nervous it turned to look into Kanda's glaring face.

The dragon stared hesitantly back, then slowly licked the exorcists cheek with one slimy, whip-like tongue.

To everyone's surprise the small creature's mouth seemed to curl up into a smile. "Oh yes, I quite like you." It said.

End 3.

**AN:** Yes I know, huge cliffy.

But don't worry, chapter 4 is coming on Friday. Thank you all for giving me SIX wonderful reviews last chapter! Because you exeeded my quota by three, I'm updating on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday.

Remember, reviewing is a wonderful gift to any author, especially at FanFiction. And because I am several chapters ahead, (beta reader reading and helping me daily at school! You know who you are!) and will not hesitate to reward those reading and taking time to type responses with faster chapters.

Again, thank you all so much!

-knux33

**To the Reviewers:**

Dark Mage Makai: I know it may seem cruel to keep from posting chapters already written, but there IS a reason to my madness! Not only can I update on days when people are more likely to read and discover this, (Fri, Sat, Sun) But if I 'bait' more people to review, I will most likely write _faster_... or at least keep my quota of one chapter a day at least. Thanks for reviewing!

Sarahfreak: Thanks for the positive writing comments! My Beta reader said the same thing, though I didn't really believe in this story to be much at first... but thanks to the great enthusiasm from the beta I have kept with it and am now close to writing the final chapters. (though I only posted this recently, I wanted to get as much as a head start as possible)

To _**EVERYONE:**_ I hope you all keep with me as I give you the tale I have so plainly titled, Dragon's Eye, the reason should be obvious now ;) Good luck as the rest of you write your own tales, or just go searching for some good ones! See you Friday!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

4.

Lenalee was very happy her brother was finally getting some much needed rest, even if she had to knock him out cold for him to get it. Content that her brother wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, She made her way back down to the infirmary to check on Miranda, Krory, and Reever.

But on her way she saw several people running excitedly down the stairs leading to Hevlaska's Chamber. Telling herself that the three in the infirmary would be fine a little while longer, she joined the crowd heading towards the most avoided place in the order ... when everything was normal.

**/DRDRDR/**

Miranda Lotto couldn't stand the tension for a single moment more. She had tried to stay still and quiet, waiting for Arystar to possibly fall asleep before running away, but he didn't. All he seemed to be doing was chewing, and chewing, and chewing.

Miranda didn't know exactly what one gives to feed a vampire, never having dined with the rest of the group, but instead taking all of her meals to her room before anyone else showed up in the cafeteria.

She thought of the trip to Edo, trying to reassure herself of the exorcist's good sides. Like, well ... he hadn't even looked like much then, seeming more quiet and withdrawn. When the trip had taken a turn for the worst he had even fought valiantly, along with Bookman, Lavi, Lenalee, and the rest of the crew.

But the time spent sitting next to him with his stomach growling very threateningly at her and his fangs looking quite deadly hadn't done much good for her thoughts of Arystar Krory.

And still, the crunching sound continued.

The only sound Miranda heard from Reever was the occasional snore, or gurgle.

Miranda tried not to panic. Lenalee, a nurse, or even another exorcist was bound to come in sooner ... or later. The German exorcist begged for it to be the former and hid ever deeper in her blankets.

**/DRDRDR/**

Kanda could have been nothing more that a mannequin for all the noise he was making, standing as still as steel. The dragonet, now silent after its first few shell-shocking words, seemed quite content to continue gazing at the world from the top of Kanda's head.

Lavi noticed that Allen seemed to be the only one looking upon this event with something other that dumbfounded surprise, the young exorcist even seemed to be full of joy and amazement instead. Confounded at the boy's strange reaction, Lavi took to scanning the people around them.

Link was obviously still in a state if shock, staring with a gapping mouth at the black creature almost as long as Kanda's forearm.

The crowd of scientists around the group were muttering quietly to themselves, several pointing out at the dragon and making gestures to more throughly explain what they seemed to think of the situation to the others around them.

The dragon itself, Lavi hadn't spotted any obvious proof of gender yet, seemed to be at loathe to leave its safe perch on Kanda, though it stretched it serpentine neck out from time to time to get a better look at someone's face in the sea that surrounded it.

Looking far more anxious now, it turned its head to directly speak to its unmoving host, "I am hungry, may we eat?"

This caused the nearby scientists to break out in a flurry of hissed whispers and gestures. The dragon looked over at them, seemingly curious. "Are they hungry too?" Almost causing all action to stop instantly.

Kanda, still very silent, began walking. Over half the science department moved to follow him. Noticing the large crowd Kanda simple turned to glare at them and the mass quickly disintegrated into a small team of four, not including the following exorcists and Link.

Lavi looked up at Bookman on the metal platform above and a slow nod passed between them. Lavi would observe the hatching while Bookman stayed and gathered all possible information as it became available.

Lavi was surprised to spot Lenalee also gazing down at the spectacle Kanda was making. Looking forward at the slowly walking exorcist, he saw that the dragon had folded its wings tightly to its little body, and had thoroughly entwined itself with Kanda's hair. The black on black shapes would be hard for a normal person to see from a distance, let alone separate into two objects.

The dragon looked to be very happy at being so entangled, though Kanda looked far from pleased with the arrangements.

Allen was sniggering loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, no doubt causing Kanda a world of grief at not being able to threaten the bean sprout properly. Trying hard not to laugh himself, Lavi followed the strange parade, feeling almost as if the show had not yet even begun to start.

As they climbed the stairs; Lavi feeling a certain appreciation for the hover-crafts the scientists had commandeered for their frantic efforts at gathering data, though he was beginning to think they took them so they would have an excuse not to use these god forsaken stairs all day, they ran into Lenalee.

Kanda marched right pasted her, ignoring her wide-eyed stare at his passenger.

"Oh, my..." Was all she said, joining the group warily.

Once she got over the shock, like most of them had to, she began asking Lavi just what was going on.

"Well, it hatched from one of our 'innocence eggs,' attached itself to Kanda, and said that it was hungry." He said, quite happy to be able to give any knowledge what-so-ever on the very confusing subject.

"It _said_ it was hungry?" There was heavy disbelief in her tone.

"Yep, apparently the small black smudge acquired English between hatching, using Kanda as a towel, licking him, and saying that it 'quite liked him.' Though I'm not sure whether it was referring to his taste or highly attracting glare."

Lenalee looked amazed, but still unsure as to how any of if could be true.

"I myself am never attracted by Kanda's glares; seeing as they always seem to scream 'I'm going to slice you into tiny pieces and stuff you down Allen's throat' to me. But, thats just my opinion."

Lenalee couldn't help but laugh at that. His banter finally having the desired effect, Lavi glanced back at the jabbering scientists and seemingly still shocked Link at the rear of the procession and Allen trailing Kanda at the front.

Allen seemed just as taken up with the little dragon now then at the moment it first shook off the last of its eggshell. Kanda seemed just as amazingly stiff as the first moment it sniffed at him.

Lavi was shaken from his thoughts when the dragon spoke up once again, saying to Kanda that it would very much like to go 'that way.'

'That way' happened to be the open door of the infirmary. With a quiet 'che,' Kanda brought the dragon into the sick room.

"Oh no, don't--" Lenalee began but broke off sadly as Kanda passed the threshold.

"What's the matter?" Lavi asked worriedly.

"Reever, Miranda, and Krory are in there."

Lavi was very sure at least one of those occupants would not react to a dragon well.

**/DRDRDR/**

The chewing had stopped. For a moment Miranda wasn't sure if her ears were working right. But then she heard the unmistakable sound of someone walking into the room. Deciding that it was now or never, as she probably wouldn't have the courage to move otherwise, she removed her bed sheets and sat up.

Seeing that it was Yuu Kanda that had walked into the room, she almost wished that she hadn't. But because he was also accompanied by several of her friends she relaxed a bit. Swallowing down a fear almost greater than the one for the vampire, she tried to give a polite greeting but the words froze on her tongue.

There was a _snake_ coming out of Kanda's hair. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. The jet-black snake, though its head didn't look like a proper snake's head _at all_, slowly stretched itself forward, and with a blood-red tongue, licked her nose.

_Then_ she screamed, and after that, fell backward into a dead faint.

The dragon was very upset by this unexpected turn of events, coiling itself closer to Kanda. "Is she not well?" It asked quietly, much to Lavi's private amusement.

Kanda held onto his silence. Seemingly reassured by the lack of objections it looked over at the amazed Krory.

"Krory!" Allen said joyfully, noticing his friend was awake. The named exorcist seemed very confused by the present upheaval.

The dragon, becoming a little scared by all the loud reactions, asked Kanda timidly, "Shall we eat now?"

With that Kanda turned, ignoring whatever the others might have to say, and began to march determinedly out the door. Regardless of Krory's now conscious state, Allen ran right out after the older exorcist to catch up, the scientists and Howard trailing behind.

Having supposedly been 'left,' Lavi helped Krory up so he could come with them to get some more food from the cafeteria while they were there and get filled in on the more resent events on the way. Lenalee carefully made sure Miranda was in no danger of falling limply from her bed before the three left her and a sleeping Reever behind.

**/DRDRDR/**

Jerry was a bit surprised when the large group walked in, he had been packing up, most of the exorcists and finders fed and full of dinner. Though the rest of the order had seemed to forget about the importance of eating ... again.

But by the scale of activity going on downstairs Jerry had expected it. He really should send some snacks down for the scientists, they always forgot to eat when they were so overly excited.

He was mildly surprised when Kanda walked up to the counter and wasn't the one ordering a meal for himself, but for the small creature on his head.

"What does it eat?" Jerry asked Kanda cautiously, not remembering of Kanda having any pets before. He was shocked beyond all belief when it answered for itself.

"I would like a cow please."

"Steak?"

"Oh yes, that sounds very good also please."

"...Well, we serve lots of food, but I don't think I can give you a whole cow."

"Oh ..."

The poor thing looked so down that Jerry quickly added, "But I can give you enough meat to substitute for an entire cow!"

It perked up so quickly at that, with such a cute reptilian smile, that Jerry went to cooking the meat at extreme speeds. Soon the dragon was gorging at a table, in between a similarly occupied Allen and Krory.

Kanda seemed to be less up tight now that the beast was sitting on the table instead of on him. Lenalee, Lavi, Howard, and the scientists watched with looks ranging from awe to disgust at the mountains of food the three ate.

Allen was the first to declare himself full after leaving a mound of dirty dishes far bigger that he was, and walking over to the observers.

The dragonet and Krory continued joyfully stuffing themselves.

After a few minutes, the small dragon blinked sleepily and announced that he was very satisfied. It looked a bit anxious at the distance from the table to Kanda, but seemingly making its mind up about something, it began experimentally flexing its wings as if noticing them for the first time.

The scientists whispered nervously to one another, not liking the looks of the situation one bit. And then the dragon leaped into the air, wings strongly pumping. Amazingly it seemed perfectly capable of flight, even if it had just gorged itself on enough food to make anything short of a jet plane fall like a stone.

It seemed to take great pleasure in flying around the high vaulted ceiling of the cafeteria, doing several aerial stunts to the amazed audience below. After Krory had eaten his fill he joined the others in watching the spectacle.

At this point Howard told Allen grumpily that it was best if they got to bed now, as he had grown bored of the creature. Following reluctantly, Allen stared back at the dragon in flight until the doors closed and the exorcist was blocked from view.

Lenalee looked at the clock and blushed, remembering her brother was currently strapped to a bed in his room. Saying her goodbyes quickly she, too, left the room.

Krory, showing his fangs in a wide yawn, also departed with a good-night.

Lavi glanced at the scientists. They looked to be quite tired of playing 'dragon-sitter.'

"Go," They looked surprised to find the apprentice Bookman motioning for them to leave. "I can get all the data you guys need right here," He said, tapping his head with a smile.

Trusting the human-tape-recorder, they thanked him profusely before making their exit, probably going back to Hevlaska's Chamber to help the others.

So Kanda and Lavi were the only ones left in the room when the scaled avian seemed to finally want to come down and they both watched it dive in low for a landing.

Its chosen landing platform seemed to be Kanda, and as Lavi made the connection he hastily got out of the dragons way. Back winging hard to slow itself, the small black dragon was moving so carefully it seemed to almost _hover_ onto Kanda's shoulder.

Lavi was a bit surprised to notice the creature had grown almost double in length, now being to big to rest easily on Kanda's shoulders. Looking disgruntled at this problem, the beast had to ruffly hook its back claws into Kanda's shirt to keep from slipping off, making several tears in the fabric.

Kanda finally spoke his first words to the creature that had so attached itself to him. "Get off."

Lavi thought the little black smudge looked very hurt to hear such words, spoken so coldly. Slowly unattaching itself, it slid quietly to the floor. It strange eyes were the size of saucers, looking wetly up at its chosen 'mother' figure.

Kanda walked away.

The little smudge followed.

And Lavi walked doggedly behind them.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen didn't mind having to leave the show, he had enough images from the first flight to enjoy all night long. But what Link _did_ do to aggravate him was mumble about 'such trivial wasts of time,' until he was sleeping on his pallet upon the floor.

Once the annoyance was silenced, Allen smiled to himself and could almost forget about the investigator on the floor. Still smiling, he turned over and wondered what the other fifty or so eggs might bring... before his eyes finally slid shut, closing his mind to conscious thought.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lenalee was quite shocked to find her brother's bed empty, leather straps undone. Sighing sadly to herself, she promised that she would make him rest more the next morning, with stronger restraints.

Shaking her head at her brother's workaholic attitude, shared by most of his staff, she went to bed, quite forgetting that Reever was in a similar predicament.

**/DRDRDR/**

Krory, feeling like had hadn't been home for months, jumped into his bed and switched off the light. His last thoughts were that he really _hadn't_ been home for months ...

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi sat quietly on the floor, watching the little black smudge stare at Yuu's door. The dragon hadn't moved from that spot since Kanda had shut the door in its face. Lavi would not, _could not_, leave the poor creature to sit out the night alone.

Feeling like a very foolish Bookman, Lavi settled in for a long, wailing night. But, unlike an abandoned dog or person, the small smudge was quiet. Not a sound rose from its throat. Not one of its muscles moved.

Somehow, to Lavi, the silence was what kept him up long into the night. He felt wounded from just being so close to the horrible, but strong and silent, heart-ache.

End 4.

AN: Poor dragon, it just wants to be luved! Sigh, next chapter out tomorrow, I just did a whole Spring football game yesterday night and I'm tired ... crawls under bed now.

Curse you bass drum! Why can't you be _lighter rrrr_.

Fun Fact: Marching band is neither easy or relaxing, but its on of the fun-ist things you can do in high school! Especially when playing musical bass drums with all of your friends between songs!

-Knux33


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

5.

Lavi awoke early to someone thwacking his side. Expecting to see Kanda kicking him for sleeping by his door, or Bookman whacking him for sleeping, he groggily sat up only to find that it was the little smudge's tail that was hitting him.

The dragon was wiggling excitedly in front of Kanda's door, wings unfurling slightly.

Lavi was surprised to see that the creature had almost doubled in size again, now roughly the same mass as a Labrador, though the dragon was far more elongated and bony. A bit _too_ bony, actually.

The creature had grown so much that all the food it had consumed the night before had apparently been used up completely.

Lavi thought that if the dragon became so skinny after just one night without food it would not bode well on the Order's coming food finances, along with Allen and the newly awakened Kro-chan to give the young dragon such good eating habits and take a substantial bite out of the food stocks themselves.

The smudge backed away from the door just a moment before Kanda opened it. The dragon looked up hopefully into Kanda's face. Kanda looked down at it with no readable expression Lavi could see.

Closing his eyes and making a 'che,' of annoyance, Kanda made his way down the corridor that lead to the cafeteria. The dragon, happy no other harsh words had been spoken to it yet, followed like a faithful hound.

Lavi slid behind them like a person that had been up over half the night, worrying about horrible thoughts that thankfully never seemed to come true.

**/DRDRDR/**

Reever woke from the soundest sleep he had gotten in months still strapped to the infirmary bed. That didn't surprise him. The infirmary bed was now located, not in the infirmary, but on the center platform in Hevlaska's Chamber. That _did_ surprise him.

Komui bounced over, as happy as a kid in a toy store, looking mischievous. Reever believed that to be a very bad sign of things to come.

"Good morning Reever!" Komui said happily. Reever wasn't buying it.

"If you could be so kind--?" Reever asked, pointedly looking at his restraints.

"Oh no no no no no, Reever!" Komui said like a teacher scolding a particularly slow student. "You have to get out of those by yourself!"

Reever could just feel the migraine building, "And why is that Supervisor?"

"Because I got myself out of my bonds and saved you from horrible boredom in the infirmary," He said, showing Reever a small mini-Komurin robot with small scissor-like hands. And lock picking attachments. And a small flame-thrower. And a miniature picture of Lenalee on its back. "The least you can do is figure a way free from your restraints yourself."

Then Reever exploded. "But _you_ had a robot to help you! How exactly is that '_doing it yourself_?'"

"Well, I made the robot ..."

"I don't have time to make robots! I'm stuck waiting for you to finish all of your damning paper work!"

"Its not my fault my signature has to go on so many useless things."

"Useless?!"

Most of the busy scientists below could hear Reever's vented anger and Komui's almost childish responses, but they chose to ignore it and continue diligently with their work.

At a time like this, they were glad the two incharge could have some fun before getting back to work. They really didn't have enough time to relax.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen walked into the cafeteria just as Miranda was scuttling out. He tried to greet her but she was moving so fast that by the time he got the first syllable out she had already diapered around the corner.

Howard grumbled at him to keep moving and Allen made is way into the most crowded cafeteria breakfast he had ever seen. Many scientists had ventured away from their work to grab food for themselves after a night-long fast, swelling the normally reasonable food line.

But that wasn't the only problem.

At a table near the back of the room Kanda was eating his morning round of soba, Lavi was siting across the table eating his balanced breakfast, and right next to Kanda the dragon was shoveling piles of meat down its gullet in a very messy manner.

Most of the crowd, waiting for the lines to grow reasonably shorter, crowded around the table and watched the creature devour its meal. At a reasonable distance, most looking warily at its growing claws and gore-covered fangs.

Howard glared a the long line with obvious displeasure at such a wait. Allen left the inspector there to deal with his negative attitude himself, wanting to greet Kanda, Lavi, and the rapidly growing dragonet.

When he had wrestled through the crowd and approached the five feet that none of them dared, this seemingly begin the space to close to the dragon's reach to be deemed 'safe.' He greeted it with a cheerful 'good morning.'

"Good morning to you also," It said, folding its wings more tightly to give Allen some sitting room. The black beast was now big enough to sit in a seat and still reach the food on the table, it tale hanging off the edge to fall into the floor.

Once seated, Allen proceeded to stare at the dragons bounty of cooked meats, stomach growling. After a while, Allen noticed that the dragon was leaving one plate perfectly untouched.

"Don't you like liver?" Allen asked, eyeing the platter of the organs the dragon had seemingly rejected.

"Oh no, not at all," It told him sadly. "They are much too slimy going down."

As Allen didn't take his eyes from the untouched liver, and the dragon, growing a little uncomfortable at the exorcist's staring, asked, "Would you like some?"

Before the words were out of the creature's mouth Allen was taking large, slurping bites out of the platter, causing many of the dragon-watchers to go green. As he continued taking enthusiastic chomps at his breakfast most of the scientists left, deciding now was as good a time as any to get in line.

Lavi and Kanda had abandoned their meals, Lavi with a fork full of eggs halfway off the plate, looking quite green themselves.

Allen, oblivious to his friends discomfort, decimated the pile of organs in no time flat. Licking his plate vigorously, trying to get all of the left-over juices, he noticed that Lavi and Kanda had stopped eating.

"Are you guys going to finish that?" Allen motioned to their half-finished meals and the two exorcists gladly let him have both. Allen, so joyful at receiving some food without having to wait in the monumental line, didn't notice Kanda's disgusted expression or the fact that Lavi' face had turned a green that could rival his eye color.

So the Allen and the dragon both polished off the last of the food before a storming Howard grabbed Allen by the collar and yanked him painfully backwards, almost causing the young exorcist to choke on his last bite of Kanda's soba.

The dragon looked very alarmed by the violent actions of the inspector and slid a little closer to Kanda, as if expecting protection.

"Stop running off!" The hungry Link yelled at the coughing Allen; Howard venting his anger, Allen trying to dislodge the bit of noodle that had gotten stuck in his windpipe.

After some more ranting and Allen succeeding in not choking to death, Link dragged him off to 'finish' the paper work he had yet to complete. Waving good-bye, Allen left the group once more, following Link to the library.

"Why did he do that?" Lavi heard the little smudge ask the now silent table. "The boy was being ever so polite to me, and I did not see him do anything at all wrong."

"No, he didn't do anything wrong." Lavi said quietly, the volume of the others around them eating, even if far away, helping to mask his words from unwanted ears. "But they are trying to prove that he did."

"Whatever for?" It asked, looking very confused. "He is very nice." With a glance at Yuu it added, "Though not as nice as Kanda."

Lavi burst out into a spasm of relived laughter, still wondering why on earth the little smudge chose Yuu to be his supposed 'mommy.'

Controlling himself, Lavi grew serious and said soberly, "Its all because he could control the ark."

Kanda sat in silence while the dragon twisted it's head sideways in even greater confusion. "Ark?"

"The ark, built by Noah, once belonged to the enemy. It can be used to supposedly transport anyone anywhere..." Lavi paused for a moment, thinking. "Right now, its only connected to here, the rooms where we fought the Noah, and the Asian Branch. To connect it to other places I think Allen has to use the piano, but I'm still not sure if thats the only way."

For a while he sat pondering, deep in private thought. Then the smudge said, "But that is not a very good reason at all! Is it not helpful that he could do so much? He was so very nice, even when the other man hurt him." The dragon fidgeted, looking miserable with the unfairness of it all.

"Don't worry Smudge!" Lavi said, putting on a smile for the young creature. "They don't have any evidence. The charges would never stand in a trial." _If only a heresy accusation _was _a trial_. Lavi thought behind the smile. _If they really do get it in their minds to accuse him, it would be nothing more than a blood bath._

Noticing the smudge was staring thoughtfully at him, and Yuu was also glaring in his direction, Lavi realized he had said aloud the 'nickname' he had given the once small smudge on Kanda's shirt.

"Is that to be my name?" The dragon turned to look pleadingly at Kanda. "I would so ever like a name."

Giving a 'che,' Kanda took the dishes Allen had left and brought them over to one of the waiting kitchen helpers to be washed. Lavi then noticed worriedly that the dishes were hardly a fraction of what the boy was used to eating, Howard pulling him away before he could have something besides the 'snack' they had given him.

The dragon, looking ecstatic at having a name and forgetting all about Allen, reported to Kanda when he came back that he would like to go flying now.

Looking at the now nine-foot-long from snout to tail tip and two-point-five-feet high dragon, wings looking to be ruffly eighteen feet in length at full extension, Lavi hastily advised Kanda to train outside on one of the balconies so the dragon could fly as long as it wanted to without bothering anyone.

Looking like he agreed, Kanda marched them out of the cafeteria while a sleepy Krory was wondering in. Looking at the dragon that had been the size of a house cat yesterday, his eyes widened and he looked like he was going to ask how Smudge had grown so fast, but Kanda didn't give him the chance, forcing the party onward.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lenalee was looking as sternly as possible at her brother, but not succeeding in cowing him. Komui seemed far too hopeful at the data the scientists were bringing in to care about his own well being. So Lenalee sighed and went to get them all some coffee.

On the way she found Miranda walking dejectedly around the stairway. So, hoping to perk the depressed German up, she asked Miranda if she would like to help her carry some coffee down to the scientists that stubbornly refused to leave their stations.

Looking joyful for being able to help in any small way, Miranda followed her like a shadow into the cafeteria, suddenly becoming shyer.

Blaming it on the large amount of people, Lenalee led herself to the front of the line. Being the sister of the supervisor did have some privileges. But only when she went on coffee runs.

Talking cheerfully to Jerry, Lenalee noticed Miranda staring almost fearfully at a certain Romanian exorcist eating piles of food for breakfast. Handing Miranda one of the trays covered in coffee cups, Lenalee made her way deliberately close to where Krory was eating.

Waving as she went by, and Krory doing the same, unable to speak, his mouth stuffed with an inflowing traffic of food, Lenalee saw Miranda become very pale. Looking straight ahead as she went by and not even attempting to make contact to Arystar.

Suspicions confirmed, Lenalee asked Miranda if she was scared of Krory as they made their way down the many steps to Hevlaska's Chamber.

"N-n-n-no I-I'm n-not--" Miranda began weakly.

"Yes you are," Lenalee said sternly, "And there is no good reason why you should be. Arystar Krory is one of the sweetest people you could possibly meet," Lenalee droved on, "And you probably have more reasons to be scared of Kanda than of him."

Miranda looked very abashed. "I'm sorry," She said, "Its just, I was stuck in the room all day and his stomach kept roaring and his face was scary and his fangs were showing and--"

All the way down Miranda listed every possible reason why Krory had scared her, and had almost finished when they at last delivered the coffee to the desperate scientists.

As the last cup was given away Miranda blurted the last few reasons out, "--And his ears are pointed and he's from Romania and his white streak of hair makes him look handsome and--"

"What was that last one?" Lenalee asked suddenly. Miranda, thrown off rant, took a second to remember just what she had said. When she did her pale face turned a splotchy pink.

"Oh dear! I didn't mean to say that I-I--" Lenalee, glad that finding the root of Miranda's fear had just been shyness, gladly changed the subject for her.

"Would you like to get a closer look at the eggs?" Lenalee had told Miranda earlier that morning the reason for the dragon in Kanda's hair, as the woman had been out cold before explanations could be made.

Looking a little hesitant, but curious, Miranda agreed and the two made their way from the higher platforms, where Komui and Reever seemed to be in a heated argument of some sorts, to the now dubbed 'egg floor.'

**/DRDRDR/**

Kanda was having a very good workout; he had broken beyond repair three training bags, five bokken (wooden swords) and beaten Lavi seven times on the wrestling mat.

Kanda was now looking for another practice to do, but there wasn't much he could do on the balcony, being limited to what had had brought with him. Having successfully broken every item he had, besides Lavi, but the Bookman apprentice was panting by the railing after being beaten the seventh time.

Then Smudge came flying in at an alarming speed, going into a frantic landing the dragon almost didn't slow himself down enough to come down. Falling heavily to his feet the creature looked back the way it had came, shivering.

"What's the matter?" Lavi asked, only slightly breathless now.

"What _is_ t-that?" Smudge asked fearfully. "It-it looks so h-horrible." Now shaking violently all over. Kanda saw several scales on the dragon's back and head raised like a dog's hackles.

"Whats what?" Lavi asked worriedly, looking over the horizon where Smudge had flown in from.

"_Those_!" The dragon would not be calmed, even when Kanda looked balcony edge, spotting nothing.

"Oh, why can you not _see_?" Smudge wailed, before the sound abruptly turned into a violent snarl.

Never expecting such a sound to come from the polite reptile, Lavi back away from the railing edge, only to see Allen burst through the doorway towards them, Crown Clown activated, his cursed eye glowing a deep red with its gears turning.

"Akuma!" Was all the warning he could give them before a small mass of level threes burst through the foliage below , and Smudge put himself protectively between the threat and his friends.

Allen ran right past the snarling beast, drawing his sword of innocence, and fearlessly leaped downward to meet the assault. Smudge, not realizing that Allen was in very little danger, his Crown Belt able to stop his fall and his Akuma weapon very up to the challenge of the scarcely dozen Level threes, unfurled his wings and leaped down to join in the fray.

Lavi and Kanda, feeling useless without their own weapons repaired yet, ran to the ledge to watch the battle. It was more of a massacre. Allen and Smudge seemed totally capable of destroying the small number of Akuma in moments.

It was almost gruesome to watch Smudge tear apart the akuma easily with his talons and fangs and Allen cutting through them as if their armor was no better than tinfoil.

Once the threat was eradicated Smudge then, looking very proud of himself for protecting Kanda and Lavi, obliged himself to several aerial tricks as Allen used his Crown Belt to virtually reverse-bungee jump up the cliff wall.

Very soon back on the balcony with the others, Allen watched smiling at the now more formidable-looking dragon.

Lavi, realizing Smudge had somehow seen the akuma coming about the same time as Allen, because the boy had obviously had to run up there from the library, and had seemed very ready to do battle once they were threating him.

Deciding this was a matter to discuss with the Panda, Lavi told them all that he was going to report the incident, and ran off.

**/DRDRDR/**

Miranda Lotto was proud to say that she wasn't to scared when Lenalee showed her the large and numerous eggs dotting the floor of Hevlaska's Chamber. In fact, they all sort of looked a little cute, with all of them being different sizes.

After making a complete circle around all the eggs, listening to the murmur of the scientists, they stopped.

She carefully went a little closer to one of the smaller eggs, asking Lenalee if it was ok to touch it.

"Of course," She said, "Just try to be gentle."

Reaching out with trembling fingers, Miranda touched the smooth, pearly white egg. Marveling at its almost silky texture, Miranda felt herself smile.

Until the egg cracked under her hand.

Thinking that she had somehow broken the poor thing Miranda jerked her hand back. The cracks spider-webbed all over the sphere, spreading from where she touched it.

With increasing horror, Miranda watched as a small, limp, slime-covered yellow body fell out.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi reached Hevlaska's Chamber very quickly, spotting Bookman almost immediately standing next to Komui. He ran over and leaped from the metal platform to the main hovercraft, ignoring the shouts of surprise from the scientists below. He landed hard, grabbing Komui's and Bookman's attention.

"There was a small Akuma attack." Lavi got out quickly. "Allen and Smudge took care of all of them though."

Komui, at first very alarmed, then sagged in relief when Lavi told them the attack was quickly eradicated.

"Smudge?" Bookman asked.

"The dragon," Lavi grinned, "We couldn't just call out 'dragon,' whenever we wanted him now could we?"

Bookman, looking grumpy, kicked Lavi hard in the head. Komui ignored the two and got back to having his nice chat with the tied-down Reever.

Lavi, watching as Komui turned his attention elsewhere, softly told Bookman that Smudge had seen the Akuma coming before they were visible.

Bookman, having suspected something like this to happen, said, "Well, Lavi, this isn't going to be good for Allen."

Lavi looked at him questioningly, hoping for elaboration.

"Don't tell me you've gotten so thick that you haven't realized it yet?"

Lavi shamefully remained silent.

Growling agitatedly, Bookman continued, "Allen Walker, once the only way to see Akuma through their disguises of human skin, is now going to be deemed obsolete. One of the only things we could have used to stop the heresy trial was his unique curse and his now general-level power.

Because this creature his both the ability see the Akuma and, as you have told us, destroy Level threes with the ease of one with over one-hundred percent synchronization rate, and can easily understand orders, Allen is now very close to being labeled 'replaceable.'"

"But Panda," Lavi said, "We don't know if the other eggs will even hatch soon, and if they do, we don't know if they'll be the same as Smudge!"

Bookman stared at his apprentice for a moment, then sadly pointed down to the brood below. Lavi looked over the edge of the platform, and almost gasped when he realized what he was seeing.

Miranda was being carried away on a stretcher, apparently out cold again, Lenalee hovering nervously nearby, but thats not what caused his growing horror.

Cuddled on Miranda's chest was a small highlighter-yellow dragon, staring at the crowed with exactly the same ghostly eyes Smudge had.

End 5.

**AN:** Hello! I'm very surprised at the stats this story is getting, and I'm happy to tell you all that I'm close to finishing it. Only twelve chapters are planed, and nine of them are now completed and revised for spelling mistakes.

Thank you to all those that have reviewed so far! And, if any of you have trouble pictoring the dragon's eyes, (Haha), I've posted a simple paint pic in deviant art . com

The picture can be found on my account there (Knux33) and you can also find it by typing my screen name in the search engine ... i think ...

Anyway, its there.

Thank-you to those that choose to review!

**PLUS... Ch.160 TALK**: OMG ... Run! Its the overworked vampire zombie hoard! Poor Allen ... the head nurse does not like him very much, and I wasn't very surprised when she finally decided to bitez him ... It remides me of Krory, thought they didn't metion him once in this chapter.

My Beta reader is going to be grumpy because of that and say, "Put more Krory in your fanfiction!" Then I'm going to smile and say, "Ok, any other comments on my fanfiction besides 'more Krory?'" And shez going to say, "More Krory."

That is our basic conversation every day. Of course I also beg for more comments, but she is very stern and sayz that its wonderful the way it is and very close to perfect, besides all the spelling errors we go over through the day as we read the chapters over and over again.

See what I do for you people? I go through a Krory maniac to get you this stuff relatively error free.

See you all tomorrow!

-knux33

To Kayday: **/DRDRDR/** is a secret I'm keeping till the end. But thank-you for being curious enough to ask! Yes, Link is coming off that way, but that's mostly because of sleep deprivation... half the night he sleeps, the other half he makes sure Allen hasn't gone a-wall or done anything 'heretical' and all... If Allen ever did hez gotz a recorder golem conveniently placed in his pocket...


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

6.

Miranda Lotto awoke in the infirmary with a vague sense of deja-vu, crunching noises filling the air. Turning her head towards the noise she almost fainted again for the fifth time in barely two days.

A yellow dragon, the size of a small dog, was gulping down massive amounts of food on the floor by her bed. Most of it's meal seemed to be finished, as it was surrounded by stacks upon stacks of dirty dishes that gave the appearance of skyscrapers surrounding a small, yellow, Godzilla. With wings.

For once her curiosity drowned out her fear and Miranda leaded forward to get a better look at it. This, Miranda would think later, was her first mistake in a very long trying day.

The second she moved the beast's head snapped around and it flew awkwardly up and onto the bed.

"Oh!" Miranda tried her best not to scream and frighten it, or provoke it into trying to eat her.

"You are awake!" The small thing cried jubilantly, almost causing Miranda to fall off of the infirmary bed. Lenalee had told her the dragon from before could _talk_, but she hadn't thought that the girl had meant _actually_ talk! "Now we may go to see everything!"

"E-everything?" Miranda was still on 'talking dragons?' part and didn't really understand what the small one on her chest was saying.

"Yes, yes! We must go out and see _everything_! The rooms, the windows, the halls, the people, the walls, the things on the walls, the things outside the walls--!" Its small wings were flapping excitedly and its whole little body seemed to be wiggling with extra energy.

Miranda decided to stop the tirade before it got any more confusing. "Now wait a second," She cut in, "What are you t-talking about?"

The creature looked at her with those strange black, white, and gray eyes and said, "Well, I guess if you don't want to see everything _now_ we'll just have to do it later," And fluttered back down to the floor in a huff, snatching a bone off a nearby plate and proceeding to chew violently on it.

Blinking confusedly, Miranda realized she had somehow upset the creature. Feeling bad, she slowly slipped out of her bed and said, "We _could _go for a small walk--"

Before she knew it a bright yellow blur flew through the air and smacking into her shoulder. A sleek yellow tail wrapped loosely around her neck like a necklace of gold. "Let us go see everything." The dragon chirped, looking much like a parrot perched on her shoulder.

And so, they were off.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi was leaning on the metal rail of the platform, ignoring Komui and Reever's bickering and staring at the mass of eggs below. Brooding.

If all the eggs hatched, then there would be more than enough opposition for the Earl's akumas. The dragons may even be a force for the super-human Noah to reckon with.

But there would still be a price to pay. Allen.

The higher ups already thought very little of the exorcist's well being, sending them heedlessly into battle. And Allen was on shaky ground, connected to the fourteenth. Supposedly the Noah of 'Will.'

Lavi frowned. With so little information available, even to the Bookman, this was a puzzle missing half its pieces. Things fit, forming a shard of an image, but not nearly enough to give the whole picture.

He pulled out a notepad he kept in a side pocket when he needed to put his thoughts clearly down onto paper.

There was just Allen, the Musician's piano room, the fourteenth Noah, the score only Allen can read, and General Cross that supposedly knew more tidbits of information.

Lavi, gingerly rubbing his head and putting the pad back, looked away from the eggs and walked away, heading back to the balcony where he had last left the others.

He needed to stop thinking. His friends could help him do that.

**/DRDRDR/**

When Lavi got to the balcony, only Kanda was there, doing shirtless push-ups as the rest of the his training equipment lay scattered about in pieces.

"Hey Yuu!" Lavi called as he walked over.

From Kanda, a warning silence.

"Where is everyone?" Lavi asked as Kanda switched from doing push ups with two hands to just one.

"Eating." Was all the sweating teen said.

"Oh..."

Lavi left while Kanda toiled in the sun.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi didn't have to search the cafeteria, he could find the gluttons by the sheer mass of food alone on their table. After he had reached the table and looked around the mountain of food Lavi saw not one, but two dragons dinning with the always-hungry Allen Walker.

Smudge was several times larger that the other dragon, and Lavi was beginning to worry if he could still fit through normal sized doors.

The little yellow beast had grown to the size of medium sized dog, and had apparently decided not to let Miranda out of its sight, as it coiled its yellow tail possessively around her wrist as she hesitantly watched the three eat.

Allen was consuming his food with a scary intensity, both missing his usual amount of breakfast and having fought several akuma earlier, he seemed famished.

Lavi tried not to notice their tear-and-swallow eating methods, and sat down next to Allen.

"Hey bean sprout!"

"Mufh nemas, (swallow) Allen," The white haired boy said before stuffing about six sausages into his mouth at once.

Lavi grinned at him, "Try not to talk with your mouth full Allen,"

Before anymore could be said, a small familiar golden golem flew in and plopped down onto Allen's head.

"Timcampy!" Allen said after gulping down the sausages, "Where have you been?"

Smudge looked at the golem curiously, sniffing at it. "What ever is--"

"Let me see!" A small squawking voice demanded. Looking passed Smudge's black bulk, Lavi saw it was the second dragon hatched that was speaking. "I want to see it!"

Miranda looked like she wanted to say, 'I'm soooorry,' a few mournful times, as the day had been like this since she had woken up, but she was to far away for Allen or Lavi to hear.

"If you just ask nicely," Smudge said to the yellow creature less than half his size, "I am sure Mr. Allen will let you see it."

"Let me see it _now_," The small reptile demanded, holding out a clawed hand that Lavi was surprised to notice had opposable thumbs. Looking at Smudge's paws, the Bookman apprentice saw that he too had the extra finger joints.

"That is not the way to ask," Smudge tried to refute, but sounding more like he was whining at the other beast.

Either way, Allen placed Tim carefully into the scaled hand, surprising Lavi with his trust of the creature.

"Be very careful," Allen warned it. "He bites."

The yellow dragon brought Timcampy close to its face to look at him with one gleaming ghostly eye. Tim, apparently, didn't like being stared at.

"Ow!" The beast yelped, Tim flying back to Allen's head in a huff. Biting the said exorcist as well as if to say, 'Don't ever give me to _that _thingagain!'

"It bit me," The small hatchling said, sniffing and showing Miranda the barely distinguishable marks on a clawed finger.

Miranda, still not quite used to the dragon but warming considerably, comforted it with a hug and proposal to venture outside.

This was met with a general enthusiasm all around, and they all went to join Miranda and her dragon, much to her general surprise and nervous blushing.

And so they made their way to the outside, Lavi leading the way to the balcony, worries forgotten.

**/DRDRDR/**

Kanda was not very happy to have such a crowd sharing his training space, but he did seem 'happy' to have a new partner for the wrestling mat.

As Kanda and Allen did every possible move to gain dominance over the other with their bear hands, Lavi took the time to speak with Miranda.

"So?" Lavi asked. It was all he needed to say.

"Lavi," Miranda sniffled, scaring the red head by going into tears. "It just wont listen to me!" She was crying full on into her hands by now, "I don't know what to do, it wont leave me alone and it wants to go everywhere and it is very mean to everyone and it won't stop being rude and--"

"Stop blubbering," A cold, scarcely heard voice ordered. Lavi looked up in relief, Kanda and Allen walked over, both panting and covered in sweat.

Miranda listened, her eyes still leaking a few tears.

"You have got to be assertive. Stop acting like a miserable failure."

Miranda's lip trembled, "But I _am_ a failure--" and started wailing. Kanda looked angry at her depression and walked to the far side of the balcony with a disgusted 'che.'

Allen's turn.

"Maybe you should name your dragon."

All of them blinked at that. Miranda, eyes puffy, looked over at the two beast playing a game a air-tag. She looked thoughtful as she seemingly collected her thoughts.

The yellow dragon laughed, a sound much more pleasant than its demanding 'Let me see!', it's bright yellow scales shining like a second sun.

"Sunny!" Miranda blurted, then deflated, "But that's probably a horrible name--"

"I think its wonderful Miranda!" Allen hastily reassured her. Lavi backing him up.

A bit after Miranda was finally calmed down, the dragons swooped in for a landing, causing bits of Kanda's training equipment (what was left of it anyway) to blow haphazardly around the balcony.

Sunny wasn't as pleased with her new name as Smudge had been, demanding to 'see' it.

Before Miranda broke out apologizing Lavi, thinking quickly, pulled out the small note pad from his pocket and wrote down SUNNY on a blank sheet, putting it on the ground for the short creature to see.

Gaze full of curiosity, Sunny looked down at her new name, for Lavi judged by her shriller voice that she was likely to be closer to female than male, written in bold black ink.

That got the wanted reaction.

"Oh!," Snatching the paper carefully with one taloned hand, Sunny walked in a strange, lurching, three legged gate to Smudge.

Smudge, having actually been _talking_ to Kanda and having Kanda talk _back_, wasn't to impressed with the slip of tree skin.

"It is very nice," He said offhandedly, then went back to discussing how he could possibly help Kanda with his training.

Miffed by his flat reaction, the smaller beast bit Smudge's tail. "Ouch!" That got his full attention. "Whatever did you do that for?"

"_Look_! It is my _name_!"

"I saw it, but it would be ever so much nicer if you could just tell me what it is,"

"But _seeing_ it is so much _better_!"

Smudge did a very good impression of Kanda's annoyed 'che.' "Can you even read?"

"Who _cares_ about reading? This is _my name_!"

And so the argument started between the two began quite heatedly. Miranda meekly on the side trying to get her dragon to stop being rude and Kanda ignoring it very successfully next to her.

Lavi laughed, and Allen took the time to ask the golem on his head, "So, where have you been Tim?"

Opening his mouth, Timcampy shot out an image of Allen's room. It was a side angle and the said exorcists was sleeping along with Howard on his floor pallet.

The image moved as Timcampy took flight from wherever he was perching, and then seemingly dive bombed into Link's face.

Lavi couldn't help but laugh uproariously as the image was mostly lost but the audio work fine, and hearing Howard scream at the surprise attack was a very wonderful sound to his ears.

The image refocused, and they got a face shot of an angry Howard with some bite marks on his ear. In the background Allen could be seen still sleeping, "How did you sleep through that?" Lavi asked in amazement. Allen shrugged.

They saw Link angrily toss Tim into something, the image went dark, and several locking nosies followed. Then Timcampy closed his mouth and the image disappeared.

"Aww, Tim!" Allen hugged the little golem, "Did he lock you in the closet?"

Lavi was silent at this, wondering when Allen's little room had gotten a closet in the first place.

The 'moment' was interrupted when a scientist came running out to them. Taking a good look at the dragons, Johnny Gill jogged slowly over to Allen and Lavi.

"Komui wants you four," he panted, more used to desk work than message running. "And the dragons."

"Well," Lavi said thoughtfully, looking at the large and still growing Smudge and small and rapidly swelling Sunny. "He may have to come out here, I'm afraid the Smudge wont be able to fit through doors much longer, and I really don't think Komui wants him stuck inside somewhere."

Johnny, looking wide-eyed at the bickering creatures, ran back and disappeared into headquarters.

They didn't have to wait long for Komui and the successfully untied Reever to make an appearance. The two were looking serious, but not unhappy as they made their way over, looking the dragons over like test subjects.

Which, to the scientists, they probably were.

Reever still seemed angry at Komui, but they both seemed to put the earlier incident aside and began talking to the exorcists about their new 'pets'--

"Wait!" Lavi said, looking aggravated at the two. "What about our weapons?"

...Silence. Komui's eye's wondered and Reever embarrassedly scratched the back of his neck.

"You haven't even _tried_ to fix them yet, have you--" Kanda looked very able to tear the scientists in half at the moment, and Lavi looked like he would let Yuu do it.

"Weeeeell," Komui said, "No."

"But," Reever, interrupted before they were torn apart, "We did find out something interesting about the dragons."

"I've been finding out interesting things about them all day," Lavi growled, almost as angry as Kanda. "Now get on with it before we decide to do something smart like force you two to fix our innocence already."

"The eggs are completely undeveloped until moments before hatching!" Komui shot out. When all were listening intently instead of giving glares he continued, "No matter the size all the eggs are only holding a few divided cells. When we looked at the data gathered from the yellow dragon's hatching--"

"Sunny," Miranda added meekly.

"--we saw that it did the equivalent of weeks of development in a matter of seconds, becoming ready to hatch and doing so in a span of time both unheard of for any known species of the animal kingdom. Unique in that--"

"Ooooo," Unnoticed by the group, the dragons had left their argument and had come very close, Sunny was right behind Komui. "Let me see!"

She snatched Komui's hat and began examining it with relish. Komui, confused for a moment, slowly brought his had up to feel his naked head.

"My HAT!!"

Reever groaned, this was going to take awhile.

Komui faced the dragon, rage apparent. "Give me back my hat!"

Sunny, grinning, putting it on over her shell-shaped ears. "Hat?" Sunny shook her head ruefully at him. "I see no hat."

Komui leaped, and moments before he squashed the small dragon she leaped away, wings flapping powerfully to give her altitude. So, instead of capturing the dragon, Komui successfully smashed his face into the ground. But that didn't slow him down one tick. He was up and yelling in an instant.

Sunny circled lazily around the balcony, yards out of Komui's reach.

"I can see from sky," The dragon sang,

"You look like a fly.

I can see your hat,

Can you reach where its at?" She addressed to Komui.

She stuck out her long, pink tongue. "Nooooo," She laughed delightedly at her own cleverness.

Komui looked ready to start tearing out his own hair.

"I'm sorry," Miranda said mournfully. "I'm _so _sorry--"

"Its not your fault Miranda," Lavi said.

Smudge had a look of bewilderment on his face. "Why ever would she want to be so mean?"

'Che,' was all Kanda said.

Reever sighed and decide the show must go on. "Anyway, we have basically concluded that the eggs won't, or can't, hatch until they are in close contact with a certain person. But thats just going on the assumption that the eggs did hatch purposefully when Kanda and Miranda were nearby."

"So, the egg really does choose its 'mama?'" Lavi asked.

"Apparently so." Reever blinked. "When did you guess that?"

"Sometime between anything loving Yuu _that_ unconditionally and the fact that Sunny isn't bothering the hell out of someone in the science department with a thousand questions of 'Can I see it,' instead."

Looking at the dragons, Smudge taking Kanda's indifference without malice, Sunny coming down reluctantly when Miranda moaned loud enough.

"Here is your hat," The dragon took it off of her head and presented it to Komui. He snatched it back and self consciously wiped it off before placing it back on his head. "Now will you please stop apologizing; it is not your fault."

Miranda sniffed, and tried to not cry, still thinking it was _very_ much her fault. Sunny looked very cut down by this.

"Hey, hey!" The yellow dragon entwined itself around her legs. "Cheer up! I know, lets go eat more! That would definitely be good, you are far to skinny!"

So the dragon attached its tail to Miranda's wrist and pulled her towards the door, chattering quite whimsically.

Reever observed and nodded. Komui walked over with, "If that beast ever touches my hat again, I'll build a new Komurin just for her!" and a maniacal laugh followed.

Sighing, Reever said, "But if the creatures really do single out a chosen 'partner,' then we may be in for a problem."

Allen looked curious, "What problem is that?"

"The same one we had before, we have no way to tell which people the innocence, or eggs, are compatible with. We could only parade people by and hope that a few eggs hatch to some of them. Otherwise--"

"We've got a whole lot of guns with no bullets." Komui said, sighing tiredly.

"Section Chief Komui! Reever!" Johnny came running up, going so fast he almost ran into Smudge before breaking and coming to a panting halt.

"What is it?" Reever asked.

"A Finder's report just came in from the Atacama desert, He's found something I think you all should see."

Looking at the pictures Johnny brought out, all stood in silence, it was a picture of over a dozen eggs resting in a pile of sand.

End 6.

**AN:** So, this the last update for the weekend. I don't know if I want to update during the week... I may just wait until friday...

(Insert evil laughter here)

I know I know, update sooner. I'm planning on Wensday again, unless a large turnout of review persuades me to do otherwise... hint hint, nudge nudge.

Have a good week everyone, and may your skys be full of happy dragons! (Hugs Smudge) Me luvz my Smudgey...

-Knux33


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

OPENING NOTE: Some ch.159 spoilers. Buuut, really not enough to count...

7.

Allen was beginning to hate the sun as much as Howard, and the said investigator had been complaining about it for the past three hours. Link had basically been moaning ever since they had gotten off of the train and into the hot arid climate of South America's Northwest.

The sun beat down, and the three sweating figures kept walking.

"If we had used the ark we wouldn't have to walk through this hell," Link mumbled, loud enough for both Allen and Lenalee to hear his complaint. "But no, the _Musician_," He said like an insult, "Thinks using the ark is somehow _wrong_."

_The ark isn't wrong. Something else is._

"Link," Lenalee was just as hot, if not hotter, then the complaining desk jockey. Men had the luxury of being able to take their heavier jackets off, leaving only very thin undershirts.

Allen and Howard had already done so, and Lenalee was about to smack them both out of pure frustration. "If you say one more word for any reason at all you will find yourself hurt very badly, really fast."

"If you were to carry out that threat Mrs. Lee, which I doubt you will, you would find yourself hanging from the gallows for such insubordination before you could throw the second punch."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a good, solid kick..." Lenalee muttered. Link was to busy ranting again to notice.

Allen trudged along in front of the bickering two in silence. White head hanging low; a cart horse with a heavy, unwanted burden strapped to its back.

"Allen?"

No response. The exorcist kept plowing through the sand, Timcampy sitting placidly on top of his head.

He had been that way ever since he had come out of Komui's office, after he had refused to use the ark.

"Mr. Walker," Link informed him, also noticing the brooding silence. He had taken out a compass. "Were straying off course, move a few degrees north."

Allen stopped and looked back, blinking dazedly at them. "Oh," Was all he said before adjusting his trajectory and walking forward again, falling into his own thoughts.

Giving up on contact Link grumbled angrily to himself about the sun and sand conspiring to peel the skin right off of his bones. Lenalee wouldn't mind if it did happen just so long as it made the negative broadcasting station go quiet.

The ground wasn't an even level, as they struggled to climb one mammoth dune, the sand shifting and giving way under their weight, they would slip and slide down the other side as the sand rolled out from under them.

But, as time went by, Link grew silent as his mouth dried from being open and flapping. The taste of something akin to mud stuck to their tongues no matter how much water they sipped.

And they still had to find the finder. Lenalee would have laughed if she hadn't been too busy trying to keep her slowly drying tongue moist.

She wished Lavi could have come, he would of found humor in any situation ... it would have been nice if he were there to make Allen laugh at least once.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi was sweating his skin off. Bad enough he had to sit at the bottom of Hevlaska's Chamber in the 90 degree humid heat, but he also had egg duty.

The scientists had hooked every egg's monitoring machine to an alarm, so that instead of having the entire science department on an 'egg vacation,' they had all been forced to resume their normal paperwork.

If an egg were to start hatching, its respective alarm would go off, and a group of scientists would come down to observe and study and whatever it was they did again...

Lavi started nodding off in the sweltering heat. But shaking his head vigorously he jumped to his feet and paced back and forth along the rows of eggs, brain storming.

He couldn't understand it, why wouldn't Allen just do what they wanted him to? The entire Order knew about his refusal to 'pilot' the ark by now, and it wasn't helping him one bit. Lavi's eyes narrowed as he stopped looking at the eggs he paced around and looked through the facts.

When first using the ark he had done it to save himself and everyone else on the ark from a kind of 'death,' or 'deletion.' Lenalee said he had seemed a bit strange after, when she and Cross had walked in. He had almost asked Cross about the 'Musical Score' ...

Thoughts, questions, and fragmented answers ran around in circles in Lavi's mind. Like birds flying together in formation some things came almost wingtip to wingtip, but not quite touching, not quite making sense. All connected but separate.

These kinds of problems were always maddening to Lavi. He knew who had the answers he wanted: Cross, Allen.

He clenched his teeth with the third name, Malcom C. Rouvelier.

The man was disliked mutually by most of Headquarters, but everyone still listened to every order given by the special inspector sent by the Order's administration at the Vatican. There wasn't anything else anyone could do.

He could not approach any of them. Any of them except Allen.

His heart shoved the idea away almost as soon as his mind thought it. He couldn't ask Allen the questions he had too. There was no rhyme nor reason to this; he just couldn't.

Loyalty, looking away from a dear friend's past, compassion for another's feelings; Bookman would have a fit if he knew what Lavi was feeling right now.

Asking would hurt Allen, and hurting Allen would hurt all those close to him. Lavi had seen how the boy had looked coming out of Komui's office, Howard hot on his heels.

When Allen was hurt, Lenalee, Miranda, Krory, even Yuu would feel the repercussions.

They had probably dared to ask one for the questions Lavi could not. In turn, Allen had been far more withdrawn before leaving with Lenalee and the tag-along Howard to retrieve the large brood of eggs that had been found.

The entire building had noticed something was up when the normally smiling, outgoing exorcist was instead as quiet as a ghost, coming and going with little more than the sound of his feet touching the floor.

It was little wonder the reason for his mood had been ferreted out as quickly as it was. Howard hadn't exactly been restrained in muttering about it all day, exorcist and investigator alike ignoring the other even existed.

Lavi stopped pacing and tried to think of something else besides the way Allen had wandered around the Order's halls the last hours he had been there before going on his assigned mission. A shadow, locked deep somewhere no one else could reach.

Lavi began walking again, trying to burn off the worry that had weaseled its way into his heart, spreading to his feet as he marched at a double-pace.

Lavi wished he could just turn his brain _off_--

Everything swirling like a whirlwind in his mind, Lavi didn't hear the alarm go off, but he did feel when a small, slimy rope-like object coiled itself around his legs, causing him to fall very painfully to the ground of the stone chamber.

Groaning, Lavi rolled over onto his back and _really_ hoped he had not just broken his nose.

Someone was laughing uproariously at his predicament as he carefully felt the sorest spot on his face. Though, because of the circumstances, Lavi thought it was probably a scaly something laughing at him instead.

Once he had determined his nose wasn't bent at an awkward angle or discharging red fluid, Lavi opened his eyes to stare at the beautiful creature wrapped around his legs.

She, he could guess from the now soft tinkling laughter, was a very fine looking serpent with a solid orange covering most of her body, becoming thousands of the same color in different colors.

The shading was beautifully done around her entire body, like an artist had decided to use her as a palette while searching for every possible color between a golden yellow and crimson red. The colors became lighter on her wing membrane, and darker on her belly, to put it simply.

Lavi though that compared to the uniformly black Smudge and blistering yellow Sunny, she was a masterpiece.

"Well?" The now _defiantly _female asked, "Are you not going to feed me?"

"I will," Lavi said, "If you would you be so kind as to let me up?"

The serpent slid up his legs, passed the belly, to coil herself around his neck. Wondering just what had happened to him, Lavi heard the echo of 'be careful of what you wish for,' reverberate throughout his now clear mind.

Worry and work forgotten.

A few scientists ran into the chamber a short time later, but Lavi and the newly hatched dragonet were gone. Leaving nothing but one fragmented egg to show of the event, and the alarm buzzing like a prison convict had just escaped.

**/DRDRDR/**

Once in the cafeteria, Lavi sat in a secluded corner, which wasn't hard to do, seeing as everyone practically ran away from him once they saw the dragon.

Lavi left the hatchling on the table, deeming it safe enough for him to leave her to grab the food. Jerry looked a little strained when Lavi asked for a dragon's dinner.

"Even Allen wasn't able to eat us out of beef _this_ fast," The head cook said sadly. "Were going to have to strain our budget to get these guys decent meals.

"Your tellin' me," Lavi said, lifting an amount of meat that was assisting gravity in trying to pull his arms off. He had to stagger back to the table, making a mental note to take the seats closest to the food counter next time.

His little dragon was not alone when he finally reached his table. Kanda, Miranda, and Krory had all ready gathered around her. When the little dragon saw him she announced to them all, "_That _is mine, now if you are satisfied let me eat the food _that_ brought me."

Guessing they had been wondering who the new dragon had chosen, Lavi was still a bit miffed at being referred to as 'that', Lavi wasn't surprised when Kanda gave a 'che,' at him.

Placing the food on the table next to the little dragon, Lavi sat down, inviting the others to join him. They did so, and very soon the group was talking quietly amongst themselves.

"So what did you name it?" Kanda asked.

Lavi told them he hadn't decided yet. This caused Kanda to glare at him very coldly and say, "Amaterasu."

"Gesundheit?" Lavi said, confused.

"Its what you are going to name your dragon."

"How am I supposed to remember _that_?!" Lavi exclaimed, no very happy at having the honor of naming the dragon given to Kanda.

"Your a Bookman. Its your job to remember things."

"Fine, good point but new problem. How am I supposed to _say_ it?"

"I like this name." The dragon, apparently now Amaterasu, stated with the air of a queen.

"Fine!," Lavi said, outvoted by the smug Kanda and satisfied dragon. "But if I have to call you anything, Its going to be something short like--" Thinking quick, "--Ammy."

Krory and Miranda looked like spectators watching a tennis match, heads swiveling as the combatants swatted the ball from one side of the court to the other.

"I like that," Now dubbed Ammy said, "It will be my friend name. But everyone else must call me by my proper title of Amaterasu." With that said, she got back to daintily swallowing some of her many spiced steak.

The dragon had no problems with the Japanese pronunciation, Lavi noticed.

Kanda nodded, and got up.

"Where are you going?" Lavi asked, feeling that he had just begun to fight.

"To get Smudge his dinner." Miranda bolted upright in a manner that suggested she had forgotten her own dragon's needs. She followed behind Kanda like a very skinny shadow.

Lavi laughed and turned to Krory, whom he hadn't spoken with at all.

"So how are you doing Kro-chan?" He asked. "I'm sure we have lots to catch up on."

"Well," The pale Romanian began, "I'm pretty sure I haven't heard all the truth behind what those pigs are saying about Allen."

Sighing, the apprentice Bookman told Krory everything he knew involving the last stages of the ark mission and after concerning Allen Walker.

Ammy, crunching away at the bones of her meal, now too large to coil around Lavi's neck without strangling him, settled in to listen as her chosen poured his worries onto a friends ears, pleased.

**/DRDRDR/**

Howard Link, special investigator, had run out of water. He couldn't complain about it, he had learned that an open mouth is a dry mouth in the desert; already all he could taste was sand. He didn't dare waste the moisture that was left in his mouth to tell the others his weakness.

They would likely think him an imbecile for sipping away his water so carelessly. The sun was setting along the horizon and they would soon reach where the finder had sent his transmission. No, he would just wait until they had reached the finder's location and--

Allen had stopped walking. Link walked straight into him and Lenalee walked right into Howard. They had been walking for so long none of them had been paying any attention to what was in front of them.

The two shuffled backward, Allen remained where he stood.

"What are you doing just standing there?" Link demanded, feeling the last of the saliva in his mouth was work the effort. "We are almost to the randevu--"

But then he noticed the half buried form beyond in a white finder coat sticking out of the sand not a hundred yards distant.

"Akuma," Allen all but growled, with a dry throat obvious. For a moment Link wondered if they had all run out of water when--

"Oh my God--"

"Stay back Howard." Lenalee stepped forward and activated her innocence as Allen did the same.

Rising from the sand, as far as Howard could see, akuma rose. Hissing and cackling in the crimson sunset.

All Level threes.

Reaching for the switchblade in his left sleeve, Link got ready for the fight of his life. A fight the finder had so obviously lost.

He had enough time to realize that the eggs they had come to get were no where in sight. But then the battle began, and there was nothing but sand, blood, and the fading sunlight.

End 7.

**AN:** I'm just going to tell you all now, not many authors can make good battle descriptions. I don't count myself among the few that can. So ... just try to work with what I'm giving you.

Its not much, but that just means you all get to add a lot with your imagination. A _lot_. Yeah.

Battles ... not my forte. There are a few coming up.

Dragons ... heck, give me more! Hehahehahaha!

Overall ... I don't know! Thats why I like it when you people review!

Thanks to all of you that do review!

Stares at thirteen and growing amount of Alerts coming in, and the nice number of hits.

It seems quite a few of you like this... better get you all to the next chapter quick! Maaaaaybe ... it could come Thursday if enough of you review ... yeeeah ...

Me and my beta reader are doing a concert tonight, so I'm going to be tired but high when I get home at whatever hour I do, and if you give enough reviews to give me energy to update I WILL.

Looks over shoulder, 'Beta!! Where are youz!! You andz me have three chapters to edit!!'

Sick beta slams door in face. 'Go away...more Krory...'

Sadness... 'I don't like it when my beta is missing ... so she must be sick ... OR ELSE ...'

-knux33


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

8.

In the darkness following the desert sunset the air that had once made the humans blood boil now dropped alarmingly fast, breath becoming visible in the night air.

The akuma kept coming. Dozens turned to hundreds, and hundreds turned into unending thousands, as numerous as the grains of desert sand.

Lenalee found herself easily cutting through the akuma with her new boots, only to find that they would come back more numerous than before.

She soon lost sight of both Allen and the more vulnerable Howard Link.

It was dark and hard to see, but Lenalee used a small break in the swarming numbers to take the chance to leap upwards.

She spotted the others quickly from her aerial perspective, Allen's white innocence flowing out behind him like a flag to surround Howard.

Lenalee knew Allen was doing it to keep the inspector from harm, but she didn't like how he looked so unprotected with out it 'guarding' his now bare left side as her cut down the akuma like paper with his sword.

The sand around the combatants heaved, like a giant colossus was coming upward from underneath their feet.

Major amounts of the akuma army were buried in the shifting sands, Allen and Link were struggling to keep their heads above the sand that had become more like water beneath them.

Swooping downward, Lenalee grabbed both of them quickly, winching when the pull on her arms from their combined weights came close to dislocating her shoulders.

And she hadn't even pulled them out of the sand yet.

"Ms. Lee!" Link said, looking very happy, "Thank goodness, for a second I thought we were going to be buried alive--"

"Lenalee!" Allen cut through, his innocence still active, "Let go!"

Silence, Lenalee ignoring him and still trying almost in vain to pull the two from the sand pit they were stuck in.

"Allen you couldn't possibly mean that--" Link said, shocked.

"Let me go Lenalee!" The boy yelled up at her, "I saw the eggs! The akuma took them underneath the sand, I can't let them get away!"

Lenalee gripped all the tighter, she still remembered what had happened when see had let him slip away before, with Suman.

"Lenalee!" Allen was beginning to struggle from her grip on him.

She remembered what Tim had shown them in the clearing with the blood. She remembered how he had fought to protect her and everyone else on the ark and after, when the level four had attacked.

She remembered the time so long ago when she had told Allen to trust his friends to help him. That seemed a lifetime ago now...

Whether she willed it or not, Allen was sinking further into the sand. Something had to be done _now_.

Link was relatively above sand, now only waist deep, but they could barely see Allen's head anymore.

"Allen!" Lenalee could do nothing to stop him from wiggling further out of her hand, Link made a desperate grab for him but it was too late, the exorcist had been completely covered by the sand.

She could feel him at the edge of her finger tips--

But then he was gone, and without the extra weight the other two burst from the swirling, swelling mass of grit.

All Lenalee could do was hold on to Howard and watch as the ocean of sands stilled once more, destroying any trace of Allen's existence upon it.

The wind howled triumphantly as the two above made a slow, flying retreat. Howard was silent, but Lenalee didn't care at the moment, both were in shock.

Lenalee finally landed some yards from the point of the battle. Link opened his mouth, possibly to give some words of comfort, but then his face contorted into a yelp of pain, and he danced around, scrambling at his back.

After fighting the the collar of his undershirt, jacket lost in the fight, he finally managed to get it off, reveling the cause of his distress gnawing at his lower back.

Timcampy.

Howard swallowed, more sand than saliva going down his throat, stuttering, "During the battle,in all the fuss ... he must have-- slid in and--"

The golem seemed to be chewing in frustration, some blood coming from the bite. Link flinched and stopped talking.

Gently, Lenalee removed Timcampy form Howard's back. For a long time she just stared, tears running down her face to fall to the thirsty sand as she realized Allen was buried somewhere beneath the tons of sand alone and possibly ... probably--

She burst into sobs, forbidding herself to think further. Link soberly grabbed a small transmitter golem he had placed in his pocket for an emergency and called the Order.

Exorcist Allen Walker was missing somewhere in the middle of the Atacama desert. Chances of his survival were less than slim. They were non-existent.

The two surviving party members, Link determined with a quick check of Lenalee's water pack, were out of water and without shelter as they had expected the finder to have set up some sort of camp at the arrival site, and he was most definitely dead.

Send rescue team to coordinates--

And so Link continued diligently, rubbing his arms to the kept back nipping cold, wishing he hadn't been so careless with his jacket.

He found the cold bit the worst on his face, his cheeks now wet.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi was trying very hard not to yawn.

Smudge was now very obviously at a full 'dragon-size,' his peering eye alone was the size of a humans head. And he was trying to give Kanda pointers on his accuracy. This seemed to be the only way the poor creature could please Kanda, all other attempts at socialization failing.

Because the science department had become so backed up in the short time they had been toying around with the eggs, all of them were now back to working double-overtime shifts.

Lavi would of felt bad for them,_ if_ he hadn't currently been in charge of feeding a dragon.

A hungry, bossy, selfish, stiff--

"Servant!" His dragon called. "Get more of this delectable Moroccan lamb, and tell the cook to stew it a bit more before serving this time!"

Ammy, the self appointed queen of the balcony, had been ordering Lavi back and forth between the kitchens for the last day and a half, much to Kanda's amusement.

The Japanese exorcist had taken to training on the balcony, though it was now crowded with the three seemingly full grown dragons.

He often just practiced sword work on a dummy, listening to Smudge's amazingly accurate remarks about the merest of flaws. The black dragon could see almost everything with his great skull-sized eyes, becoming useful to Yuu but making Lavi feel transparent when any of the three so much as glanced at him.

Lavi was sure Allen would have been perfectly happy to do over half the useless errands Ammy made him do, and wouldn't have felt the least bit used.

Allen had seemed so happy when Smudge and Sunny had first come into the world, but Lavi was beginning to very much doubt that anyone, besides himself curse it, would even listen to this selfish serpents demands all day long--

Realizing he had all ready walked to the kitchen and back without any mental awareness of the fact, Lavi decided he should get some sleep before he tripped over the balcony ledge, whether or not there were three winged reptiles there to catch him.

He placed Ammy's meal down in front of her nose and weakly sat down next to her forearm, it was now the size of a nice, thick tree trunk.

She daintily snapped at her meal, glancing at him through one supernatural eye. He leaned against her arm, the scaly skin warm and smooth. Not caring if it wasn't the best position to sleep in, Lavi fell into a light doze, waiting for true sleep to take him.

**/DRDRDR/**

Krory wasn't the most assertive exorcist around, he'd gladly admit that, but he was a very great deal curious about the dragons he had rarely seen since waking.

He was now walking towards the balcony doorway when Miranda Lotto burst through, passing him without a second glance in a flat out run, with a demanding voice yelling, "And don't forget the spice!" After her.

Now a bit more hesitant about his idea to visit, Krory slowly slipped out into the sunlight to find the gaze of three dragons and one black-haired exorcist rooting him to the spot.

To his surprise the black dragon now had two small horns growing from the top of his head, while the other two were sprouting frill-like ruffs.

The closest dragon, he believed it was Sunny because of the bright yellow scales, peered more closely at him with one great slitted gray pupil.

"Ooo," The dragon had closed its talons around his torso and was lifting him more to its eye level before saying, "You are very unique, let me see," Before waiting for his consent, or scream for that matter, it was turning him all sorts of directions to satisfy it's want to 'see,' him.

"For goodness sake!" The black dragon exclaimed by Kanda. "Put the poor man down!"

"Make me, oh so uninteresting one." Sunny retorted, lifting poor Krory higher into the air as she went from laying on her belly to sitting up position. "He is much more fun to look at, just see his distinctive hair! And pale complexion! And pointed teeth! And pointed ears! And--"

"Stop chattering and let him down! Your scaring him half to death!" The black beast, Smudge, rose from his resting position as well, making the even large balcony seem even more over-crowded.

"If you could kindly put me down--?" Krory didn't think it would be very hard for the dragon to accidentally crush him in its talons--

"If either of you wake my Servant I will personally burn your wings off." The third dragon, laying as elegantly as a queen and picking at a large platter in front of her, threatened the two quietly. "He has been working hard and deserves this little respite."

As Sunny glowered, but put him down, Krory noticed that Ammy's 'Servant' was a very bushed looking Lavi.

"He wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't been ordering him about all last night when the people are supposed to be sleeping." Smudge pointed out to her.

"Its not as if anyone _else_ was volunteering to get my snacks last night." She pointed out. "And if I recall correctly you both didn't seem to mind when he brought you both some extra steak with sauces."

"But I was hungry!" Sunny protested while Smudge just lowed his head in embarrassment. "Miranda had left to go to sleep, I still can't believe how they can just lay someplace for a whole seven hours! And I was really hungry!"

"I'm sorry!" The named German was now pushing a wheelbarrow full of peppered steaks and covered in a thick red sauce. "Tonight I won't sleep at all and get you whatever you need! I'll go without rest for weeks if I have too!"

Krory was slightly scared for the woman at this point, though she had said something similar, and no less frightening, on the way to Edo.

Sunny quickly assured Miranda that it wasn't a very big deal at all, that she could just starve for a few hours--

"Starve?!" The dragon's word choice didn't help. "Oooooh, I'm soooo sooooorry!" Miranda was wailing now...

Smudge tentatively asked Kanda, "Would you be willing to possibly get food for me once every night around the middle of it?"

"No," Kanda told him plainly, causing the dragon's head to droop a bit. "But, you could hunt for yourself at night."

Smudge brightened visibly at this, "You mean we are allowed to take what prey we want?"

"Yes," Kanda said in a way that really said, 'stop talking now, you're making me lose my concentration.'

The black dragon was happy to inform him that his back slice was 2 ½ centimeters too high and that the tip of his sword should be farther to the left.

So, with Miranda wailing, Sunny loudly trying to calm her down, Kanda's practice sword whistling through the air, and Smudge making comments, Krory decided to talk to Ammy.

The orange dragon had long since finished with her meal and watched him with her proudly raised head as he walked over.

Krory was amazed at the size of her, though she had been in existence for only a few days.

"You are friends with my Servant, are you not?"

"Y-yes--"

"Well then, I am sure you won't mind feeding me for him, as he seems to have fallen asleep during my lunch."

Krory looked at the empty wheelbarrow in front of her and wondered how many trips this would take, when Komui ran in, screaming too loudly to hear exactly what he was saying.

But the insane supervisor did do something good, he woke Lavi. As the apprentice Bookman jerked awake, mumbling something about 'talking books,' Ammy looked very displeased, but Krory was happy enough not having to be her food transporter.

But then she seemingly took a large gulp of air, and Krory remembered her threat to 'burn their wings off.' But the Supervisor didn't have wings...

That didn't seem to matter when the dragon opened her mouth and a spray of fire went over Komui's head.

He stopped screaming words and started just plain screaming, pulling his hat off of his head, only to find the top of it singed.

Oh, dear. Krory didn't like the look on the Supervisor's face.

"My _hat_!" He glared at the orange dragon sitting smugly. "You'll pay for this _later_."

"Why not now?" Ammy questioned.

"Because you all are going to South America." Komui had no humor in his tone and all of the exorcists noticed the difference.

"What happened?" Lavi said, apparently wide awake now.

"Lenalee and Link are without water in the middle of the desert, the eggs have been stolen, and Allen Walker has gone missing."

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi wasn't surprised when Komui ordered them to go immediately, but he was surprised when their mode of transportation was the dragons.

"Its about time the hat ruiner's did some work," Komui had mumbled, stroking his poor hat.

So all the exorcists present had gone a-dragonback, including those without their weapons yet repaired, because their dragons refused to go without them.

"I can't go anywhere without my loyal Servant," Ammy had said. Smudge also giving argument to going anywhere without Kanda at least nearby.

At so the entire group left: Kanda, Smudge, Miranda, Sunny, Lavi, Ammy, Krory, and --

"They couldn't find their way out of a sandbox, let alone a desert," Bookman had grumbled at them. So all were gone, and away.

To the Atacama desert.

End 8.

**AN**: This chapter was a bit short, but needed.

Turns out my Beta wasn't sick at all on Tuesday (When I had three chapters to help me edit) But was really at an IB Fieldtrip to Bush Gardens.

Whoot.

I've been plot lining and trying to get the last chapter just right for you all. Though it may make you all want to killz me ... hehe ... its turning out nicely.

It seems a few of you don't want me to kill Allen, because it is highly speculated that his innocence is the Heart. Don't worry, Allen is not going to die. I've got something else planned for him though--

Insert evil laughter.

Beta poitz me and sayz 'knux ... why is there such a dementied look on your face...?'

Muhahahaha!

Some of your other questions will be answered in the coming chapters.

Until Saturday my fair reviewers!

-knux33


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Darkness. So cold, the back of his head was covered in something wet. Somewhere, water dripped a beat endlessly.

_How did I get here?_

He probed the back of his head with a weak hand and winced at the large bump he had gotten. Bringing his hand to his face he could barely see the dark liquid on his hand in the darkness.

He had a bleeding head wound. Not good.

He didn't know how long he had been out, but judging from the small pool of blood on the floor where his head had been, it may have been a while.

But then Allen took stock of his surroundings, and felt very confused. He was in a cave, sand trickling in from a hole in the roof of the cavern.

And what a cavern it was, if he was right and he had fallen where the sand was now coming down from far above it was no wonder he had gotten a head injury. The highest point of the ceiling, the hole, was thin and surrounded by jutting pieces of rock.

Allen felt sick just thinking about what damage would have been done if he hadn't had his Crown Clown activated, softening most of the hits.

Slowly and carefully Allen got up and dusted the sand off of his clothing, his sword was back to being an arm but he kept his innocence active, remembering the army that had gone beneath the sand before him.

He looked around, trying in vain to clearly see anything in the gloom. And he was getting a massive headache, growing outward from the wound on his head.

Hoping that the wound would stop bleeding soon and that the others were okay, Allen went forth into the darkness, searching for the priceless, round, white objects he had been sent here to find.

**/DRDRDR/**

"Down there!" Lavi heard Yuu call from the right. Peeling his eyelid open, winching at the ferocity at which the wind tore at it, he looked downward off of the starboard side of his dragon, looking down at the ants on top of that massive sand pile. At Lenalee and Howard waving from below on a massive sand dune.

They had been flying all night, the dragons not seeming to appear tired in the least, though the riders had become very saddle sore within the first few hours, not accustomed to being is such a position.

Luckily for them, Komui had quickly rigged some spare leather and rope to help tie them all down securely during the long flight, otherwise Lavi was sure he would of fallen off halfway from sheer exhaustion from having to keep his body in one position for so long.

They had flown almost at the speed of the wind, Lavi judging that they had traveled an average of over six thousand miles from Europe to South America over the Atlantic.

They had probably been traveling around eight hundred miles per hour to eat up the distance so quickly, they spotted both Lenalee and Link a bit before the sun rose on the eastern horizon.

As they landed sand flew around them, scratching at their already wind blown skin. Lavi knew his face was probably as red as his hair, the forced friction form the wind tearing the upper layering off.

All the others were in similar shape, none having ridden the dragons before to give insight on the possible discomforts.

Sliding off Ammy's orange side, Lavi came to the ground and felt his feet give way and instant before he was face first into the desert sand. Coughing the gritty substance back up, Lavi got back to his feet and hope no one saw that.

They didn't, and even Yuu stumbled a bit before the blood began circulating properly through the stiff areas. Lavi would have laughed at the way everyone, including Bookman, wobbled and even stumbled as their feet finally touched ground again.

But he didn't have time for anything like that, so Lavi just got to some of the water containers the dragon's had strapped haphazardly onto them and joined the other's where they had gathered around Lenalee and Howard.

The two were huddled close together, shivering violently.

"A-a-a-about-t-t t-t-time y-y-you g-got-t-t h-he-h-here." Howard's teeth were chattering so violently Lavi was scared they would break from the chiseling.

Bookman was directing the dragons to come closer to form a sort of 'tent' around the two, getting his needles out.

The dragon's combined body heat soon had the small area at a pleasant temperature, and Howard could explain exactly what had happened without risk of bitting his own tongue off accidentally. Lenalee didn't look like she wanted to say a word, Timcampy sitting quietly on her head.

"--and so I sent out a distress signal, hoping for help to be able to come in time so we wouldn't lose the exact coordinates of where he went down." Link said clearly, and without stutter. "If there is any trace of Allen Walker or the eggs, it is within a hundred yards of this spot."

Bookman finished looking the two over, and advised that the others started the search, but Lavi was distracted by the yellow wall of their tent, Sunny, popping her head in around the dragon's wings that served as a roof.

"There are some very bad things I-do-not-want-to-look-at below us." She informed them. "They do not seem inclined to come up here though."

"Bad things?" Miranda asked worriedly. "What sort of bad things?"

All the yellow scales shivered, "Smudge said that you had called them 'akuma?'"

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen was very tired of walking around, half blind, in the dark. He had been wandering for an unknown amount of time, down different corridors, but all of them lead to caverns that looked exactly like the one he had come down from.

He thought he couldn't have been walking in circles, each cavern had five ways in and out. Front, left, right, back, and up towards the desert.

He continued taking a 'frontal' direction, hoping to get somewhere. And eventually, he did.

By some miraculous turn of luck, boon, or fate, the next cavern Allen reached not only had a large pile of sand in the middle from the hole in the roof (all of them did) but it also had the missing innocence eggs he had been looking for.

All thirteen of them. But them Allen came to a very big problem.

How was he supposed to carry them all out of there, through the roof? Looking upward mournfully, Allen decided he had a _lot_ of work to do.

**/DRDRDR/**

Smudge was staring intently at the ground, his white iris's glowing in the dark pre-dawn desert. "There are hundreds of them down there." He informed them. "Like lots of little ants--"

"What are they?" Ammy asked Lavi.

"Akuma." Was all he said.

"They have no right to be so _foul_." She distastefully. "Just looking at them makes my appetite leave me."

"I do not want to see." Sunny said quietly, closing her eyes.

"Its ok," Miranda comforted her dragon.

Krory gave Lavi a grim look. They had both seen Eliade's poor trapped soul, and they had been blessed that Allen had quickly learned how to block that new addition to his curse.

The dragons were agitated and Smudge continued to swivel his head in all directions, searching.

"There are thousands, not hundreds," He said, "Sorry."

Kanda just stood by grimly as the black creature looked through the sand at something else.

"There are miles of tunnels down below, and the innocence is with Mr. Allen a mile east of us."

"Allen?" Everyone was shocked and amazed to hear the dragon say that. Lavi then began to believe the dragon's eyes cold see far more that akuma souls.

These creatures were probably going to be the best thing thats ever happened for the order, but that wouldn't help the exorcists like Allen. Now made dispensable.

Shaking his thoughts away, Lavi quickly got onto Sunny's back, and Kanda, himself, Krory, and Smudge glided over the where Smudge indicated, leaving a very muffed but grounded Howard and Lenalee to recover from the exposure to the elements with Bookman and Ammy.

The chosen spot was at the bottom of three tall dunes, a 'hole' in the middle of the desert. The desert was filled with such spots. But then Smudge shoveled away at a few tons of sand and a larger hole was reviled, one large enough to fit anything relatively 'human' sized. Like level three akuma.

And below in the hole, steadily climbing upward was--

"Allen!" Lavi couldn't help but cry joyfully, half the group joining him. The said exorcist looked up at them and grinned.

"Lavi! What are you doing here?"

"Were all here to rescue you bean sprout!" Kanda called down grumpily. "Now if you could hurry a little we could all be home and some breakfast." Kanda shrugged. "But if you'd rather slow us down--"

"_You_ try lifting yourself and thirteen eggs out of a desert rat hole at a near vertical climb and see how far _you_ get--" Allen yelled up.

"I would have been out and done with it by now bean sprout." Kanda called back. "You need to work you scrawny body more--"

"At least my body isn't feminine!!" Allen said loudly, sounding closer.

Kanda, on the other hand, looked ready to leap in and tear Allen to pieces with his bear hands. "What did that bean sprout say--?"

"ALLEN! My name is _Allen_, A-L-L-E-N, Allen!"

"Do they do this often?" Smudge asked, and Lavi was surprised to have forgotten that none of the dragons had seen a major fight between Allen and Yuu before.

"_All_ the time." Lavi said mournfully. "They've been at almost since the day they met."

"Whatever makes them bicker so?" Smudge wondered allowed.

"Its a bit like you and Sunny," Lavi explained, "They fight, but thats just their way of showing that they care for each other."

"Oh! Now I see," Smudge said happily. "Then they are much like siblings?"

"A bit too much," Lavi said as Allen pushed up the mound of eggs up before him. Krory, Miranda, and Kanda quickly grabbed the prizes before they rolled backward into the hole, and to give Allen some space to get out.

Sinking his claws deep into the sand Allen, puffing, pulled himself up. Miranda gasped at the large blood stain on the back of his head. Lavi quickly moved in for a better look.

"I'm _fine_ Lavi," The boy protested, even as the apprentice Bookman looked over the gruesome looking wound.

"Your lucky you didn't crack your skull," Lavi informed him, "But you are definitely _not_ fine."

There was a large bump, and a nasty scrape, but Lavi didn't know if Allen had sustained any brain damage beneath the skin.

"What day is it?" Lavi demanded.

"Saturday--" Allen said quickly.

"Have you been dizzy, or vomited after getting the head injury?"

"No,"

"Any headaches or confusion?"

"I had a headache when I woke up and was a bit confused to find myself in a cave instead of a desert."

"Whats Kanda's dragon's name?"

Now Allen just looked at Lavi ruefully and said, "Smudge!"

"Ok, your good." Lavi said, bandaging the wound.

"Told you I was fine," Allen said.

Lavi ignored the raging Kanda, looked past the relived Miranda and Krory, to see the eggs held protectively by Sunny and Smudge. Lavi did a double take. Thirteen?

"Allen?"

"Yeah Lavi?"

"How many eggs did you bring up?"

Allen looked confused at the strange question. "Thirteen, why?"

Lavi would have cursed if he had been sure Sunny wouldn't repeat the word, "There were fourteen eggs in the photo taken by the finder."

Lavi immediately regretted saying that, Allen got a determined look in his gray eyes and before Lavi could blink, was going down the hole again.

"Allen!" Lavi wished he had brought some sort of leash for the teen.

"I'll meet you guys back at the Order!" His voice was small and muffled, already moving away.

"Come back here right now Allen!" Lavi didn't care if he sounded like a squawking mother hen, that head injury didn't look good even if it didn't seem too serious.

The dragons looked over curiously as Lavi yelled at the hole in the ground, "If he says he going to get the last egg, is that not good?" Smudge asked the still angry Kanda.

'Che,' was all he got for asking.

"Miranda, can I see inside the hole?" Sunny asked as Krory and Miranda were securing some of the eggs to her 'harness.'

"I-I really don't think you would fit--" Miranda said hesitantly.

"But Smudge can see into the hole, and he's even _bigger_ that I am!" Sunny said with jealousy.

Krory was curious, "You mean, you can't see as much as he does?"

Sunny looked furious at him for pointing it out. "Yes, all I can see are the _horrible_ things." The dragon gave a very close expression to a pout. "Its not _fair_!"

"You just have to wait until you are old enough." Smudge said to her. "It will not take long, you are only a few hour younger."

"But I can't wait a few hours!" Sunny moaned very much like Miranda. "I want to see _now_!"

Lavi was walking up from the hole to the group, looking disgruntled. "I guess we'll just have to go back with what we have, and hope Allen can make his way back to the Order quickly."

Kanda made a 'che' and added as they climbed up top of the dragons, "If he doesn't get lost first."

No one else had anything to say to that.

End 9.

AN: Me and my Beta were having this conversation on the bus home, mostly revolving around Pokemon Platinum, and other stuff. When, of course, I mention my fanfic yet again in asking just what exactly she wants too see in the next story.

God, what a tangent. I made her talk for almost the entire ride with small Pokemon breaks.

Without my wonderful Beta reader, you all would see far more spelling misstakes and less updates for sure.

Thankyou Beta! Fungus! You know who you are!

I will address a lot of the questions at the end of the story, so please be patient those who's issues haven't been addressed yet!

-knux33


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

10.

Allen slowly made his way back down into the dark and gloom; Lavi calling at him to come back up.

"I'll meet you guys back at the Order!" He called up, hoping they wouldn't mind. He couldn't leave the egg behind just to be destroyed by the akuma and Noah. He just couldn't.

Letting go of the stone, Allen used his Crown Clown to slow his fall and place himself gently on the ground. Searching, Allen didn't see the egg inside the cavern, so he made his way to the next. And the next. And the next.

He didn't know where the akuma would have possibly put the egg, but he just continued hopefully in the most akuma free direction, using his cursed eye to pinpoint their locations.

Surprisingly, most of them were behind him, to the west. Because he was concentrating on finding the missing egg he didn't think twice about the akuma gathering far behind him, but instead walked and searched in a farther and farther eastly direction.

Maybe he should of cared, maybe he should of wondered.

But he didn't.

Allen Walker just kept walking.

**/DRDRDR/**

Lavi was not very happy when Sunny landed and they were back in camp. Getting off the dragon, he was hastily surrounded by Lenalee and Howard.

"Where's Allen?" Was the first question out of Lenalee's mouth, Howard saying at the exact same time, "Where's Walker?"

Wishing that they had asked Krory instead, but finding the other exorcist cornered by Bookman, Lavi sighed and told them what had happened.

Kanda and Miranda set to making sure the eggs were secure on their respective dragons after the short flight, though Miranda was really just talking to her dragon about the finer points of manners and Kanda was asking Smudge just what he could really 'see.'

Lavi missed any of the answers the dragon's might have given, as Lenalee and Howard looked about ready to explode.

"He did _what_?" Lenalee demanded, no longer looking worried at all.

"H-he went back for the missing egg--" Lavi repeated, praying that Lenalee wasn't about to smash him with her boots.

"ARGH!" Howard exclaimed, viciously kicking the sand at his feet. "How am I supposed to keep an eye on him if he runs off every time I look the other way!"

"He should of waited!" Lenalee yelled, "If he had just waited we all could of helped him," She looked worn. "Stupid Allen..."

"Don't worry," Lavi said softly, "He knows how to take care of himself." Lavi smiled as he remembered something, "And he's lived with Cross for quite a few years, if Allen can live through that, he can live through _anything_!"

And Lenalee had to give a laugh at that, just like Lavi wanted. "Anyway, where is Ammy--?"

"Right here Servant." The dragon's breath blew warmly from behind him, almost scaring Lavi out of his wits.

"Ammy!" Lavi twisted around, "How did you do that?"

"With grace and elegance." She said smugly back.

"She was buried in the sand," Lenalee told him, laughing harder.

"Well, that wasn't fair!" Lavi exclaimed, noticing that Link wasn't as amused as Lenalee, still venting his frustration on a helpless desert shrub. "I suppose that you'll want me to get all that sand out from between your scales now?"

"No, you can do that when we get back home. I will have you give me a bath." She said with the airs of a pampered house cat.

Unluckily for Miranda and Kanda, their dragons heard.

"My I also have a bath?" Smudge asked. "I am so very beginning to itch. The sand is most unpleasant."

Kanda just sort of stared at the great black dragon for a moment, then che'd at him.

"Do me, do me!" Sunny said to a shocked Miranda. "I have been feeling dirty for _hours_ now."

"Oh!" Miranda gasped, "I am so sorry! I will clean you from nose to tail every day from now on, I will get every singly grain of sand off of you!" She seemed to be starting now, dusting the sand off of Sunny's yellow scales with her bare hands.

"You don't have to do it _that_ often!" Sunny objected. "Just when I feel dirty!"

Lavi laughed loudly, unable to hold it in at all of their misfortune. But before he could toss a joke at Howard, Smudge stiffened and snarled out "Akuma!"

Everyone turned to the dragons, they had paused in place and growled low, staring down into the sand. The exorcists activated their innocence as the cackling level threes rose from below the sand.

The akuma stopped laughing when they saw just what sort of creatures faced them. Not hot and tired desert travelers, but beasts more terrifying then themselves.

And the dragons_ were_ terrifying, lips pulled back in snarls, revealing fangs longer than a human arm. Gray pupils narrowed to slits surrounded by glowing white in turn highlighted by black.

Oh yes, and God's demons lept eagerly at their destined pray, the Earl's akuma.

Krory, Bookman, and Lenalee also jumped into the fray, leaving Miranda to protect the innocentless Kanda, Lavi, and Howard.

Two of the three 'helpless civilians' looked like they would rather fight with their bare hands, until they saw just how well the dragons were doing.

The beasts literally tore the akuma apart, Ammy killing them in the dozens when she swept the desert with streams of fire, turning large amounts of sand to glass and sealing the other akuma below ground in the process.

Lavi watched in awe as more and more akuma appeared and more and more akuma corpses littered the desert sand. Kanda seemed to vaguely approve the way Smudge's mouth and claws were soon spattered with slimy black akuma blood, though his own hide was totally unmarked by any wound.

Lavi thought he saw the dragon use his tail much like a battering ram to boll over the akuma that tried to attack his back, before sinking his fangs into them.

Krory, Bookman, and Lenalee were also doing well in decimating the enemy's numbers. Lenalee using her new boots, Bookman going all out with his needles, while Krory used--

"What is that?" Lavi asked quietly to himself. "Red gloves?"

Whatever they were, they tore easily through the once challenging akuma, showing that Krory had learned quite a few new tricks while battling Devit and Jasdero ... or Jasdevi. Whatever they called themselves.

Until a group of akuma came up right behind where Kanda, Lavi, Howard, and Miranda were watching the battle. Miranda quickly used Time Out to block the akuma. The akuma, meeting the shield of innocence, attacked viscously at the barrier between them and the weaponless.

Grinding her teeth, Miranda held out, standing strong against the attacks.

"Ammy!" Lavi called over to his dragon. "We could use a little fire over here!"

The orange dragon turned from the meager pickings that were rapidly disappearing towards the three in distress and lazily spat out a tongue of flame, destroying the akuma.

Almost disgusted at the ease at which the powerful level threes were dispersed, Lavi asked Miranda if she was alright.

"I'm fine," She said, staring at Sunny as she deactivated her innocence. "They are really good at this, aren't they?"

"Very good," Lavi agreed, trying not too sound grim. The dragons were as good as five exorcists each, not needing to bother at all with any of the possible synchronization problems.

The dragons _were_ the innocence. Plain and simple.

The akuma taken care of, Lenalee, Bookman, and Krory also deactivated their innocence, Sunny staring as they did it.

"Oh," The dragon said. "I see, it goes on and off--"

Before Sunny could admire further, Howard Link squealed, drawing everyone's curious attention as he seemingly did a dance while hitting his back.

Lenalee, the only one not surprised, just sighed and shoved her had up the back of his shirt, getting several shocked looks in the process.

After a moment of feeling around, and everyone else wondering what Komui would do in this situation, before she pulled out an angry looking Timcampy.

You could practically see the light bubs go off. 'So _that's_ why she put that there...'

"Tim, would you please stop trying to eat Link for a moment?" The golden golem perched obediently on top of her head, looking grumpy.

"We could of at least given him that monstrosity before he left," Howard grumbled. "I won't be able to sleep a wink with it around."

Lavi wondered if Timcampy had been attacking Link in his sleep for a while before being shoved into the closet.

"Tim wouldn't do anything to disturb your sleep," Lenalee said cheerfully, "Would you Tim?" The little golem shook his head innocently. Howard didn't believe a bit of it.

"If that thing so much as _flutters_ near me--"

"Then I'll have Smudge sit on you if you do anything bad to him." Kanda said surprisingly not to Timcampy, but to Link. "That piece of junk is the only way to find General Cross if he decides to disappear."

Link blinked, then scowed. Kanda was looking like he would like to just cut the inspector to pieces right then and there. Link looked like he wanted Kanda on a one-way trip to the guillotine.

But neither got what they wanted, Kanda had no sword, and Link had no minions or resources to make the guillotine thing happen.

"Ahem," Lavi cut in professionally, as everyone else looked either to scared or too interested to stop the confrontation. "Shouldn't we be making are way back on the eight-hour dragon flight now?"

Reminded of their mission and the fact that such a long flight was best started quickly, everyone pinched in to pack the eggs as securely as possible, and then chose their respective dragons.

Lavi and Ammy got Bookman as their passenger, his glare suggesting a long lecture coming. Sighing, Lavi watched as Howard and Krory got up behind Miranda on Sunny, and Lenalee joined Kanda on Smudge.

Lavi being glad the two were separated, but a bit sad for Miranda having two relativity silent companions, they took off.

As Lavi had predicted, Bookman started jabbering in his ear the second Ammy had gotten into a stable glide.

"Lavi, I don't like what your doing."

"Mmhm," The apprentice said, distracted by the beauty of the barren sands so far beneath them. Bookman hit him squarely between the ears.

"Ow!" Lavi complained, rubbing his head.

"Pay attention!" Bookman reprimanded sternly, earning Lavi's full and sober attention. "We are here to observe the war in the best way possible, by participating. But if you get too enthusiastic in this Lavi, we are out. To observe from a distance. Do you understand?"

"..."

"Lavi," Bookman sighed, "You are the only apprentice we have, you are the only heir to our clan. Now is_ not_ the time to grow a heart. You know that. You have always known that, it is the duty of a Bookman to see everything and everyone as--"

"Ink and paper. Black and white." Lavi said dryly. "But what about the gray Panda? What about the meaning of the words and not just the color?"

"... Lavi, we are not allowed to see the gray. If we were, our rules would be quite different. But Lavi, you must know this--"

Bookman took a deep breath, as if the words were hard for him to say, "In the gray, the black and white are lost. Ink smudges and the words loose their meaning. We cannot lose ourselves there. That is why we are who we are. We protect the black and white, the history. We can never lose the past in what is happening now."

Ammy listened thoughtfully throughout the entire speech, remaining quiet. The old one's words were cold and hard, but they were truthful. The past was needed to learn for the future, and the present was but a moment in forever.

But it was a long and lonely life for a man to be a book. She did not think such a thing was good for her Servant, but she stiled her tongue. This was not the time to talk.

The old one was wise to talk to his apprentice when no one else could find objection besides the student himself, and the teacher always has a way to rebuff the student. She would speak later to Lavi, alone.

Flying close by on Sunny, Miranda was not having a very good time with her own morose passengers. Howard was sitting right behind her, muttering about 'damned exorcists' and staring moodily downwards.

Krory was quietly sitting behind him, looking almost like he would rather be on Kanda's dragon now. Almost.

Kanda, on the other hand, was wishing he had gotten a different passenger. Lenalee was in a very bad mood, jabbering on about 'stupid Allen.' Kanda would of normally loved to agree on this point, but Lenalee didn't leave room for comment, talking his ear off.

Kanda watched as Smudge dared to glance back at them both, saying "Do not worry, though Allen gets lost a lot, he'll come back home eventually."

Lenalee stopped, then smiled. "Thank you for reminding me Smudge."

"You are welcome," Smudge said happily, "When he comes back we will fight many akuma together, and set their souls free!"

The two passengers were made silent by this statement. Smudge noticed. "But you cannot see them, can you?" He said sadly.

"No," Lenalee told the dragon, "Only you dragons and Allen can see the souls of the akuma."

"That is good." Smudge said quietly, "They are not something that is pleasant to see. But I do wish Allen did not have to see them either."

"Why?" Kanda asked the dragon.

"Then his eye would not hurt so," The dragon said, surprising Kanda and Lenalee. "Nor would his arm have so much consciousness."

"What does seeing the akuma souls have to do with that?" Both, along with most of Allen's friends, had suspected as much.

"The innocence can see its target," Smudge said grimly, "It is the same with us, once the akuma is located it is very hard not to attack it. We can hold back, but only if the situation calls for such action."

"What would happen if there were no restrictions?"

The black dragon's face had an uncharacteristic grin on it as he told them, "There are several hundred more akuma under the sand. There would of been no more left before we decided to even consider leaving if we didn't have to bring the eggs back and protect you all."

Kanda was surprised, but not to displeased at this. "You can see all of them?"

"Every akuma in a ten mile radius is seen, would you like to stop anywhere on the way?" Smudge almost sounded hopeful.

"No," Kanda reprimanded, "We have to get back."

"Oh," The black wings beat, and the wind whistled by. "Maybe later?"

"Later," Kanda told him.

Smudge smiled back at them, then turned his head forward, beelining for the Order and home again.

End 10.

AN: Ten chapters, Whoot.

Anyway, on to more important topics, like how many chapters this story has left. Thats right people, we are nearing the end. By next weekend (Either Sat or Sun) you will all be reading the final chapter of this story.

My Beta has worned me that the last chapter (Ch 13 to be exact) will make most, if not all, of you want to jump out of my computer and strangle me.

Please don't, I'm already writing the sequel as I speak ... Type? Whatever.

You all really shouldn't plan my assassination until AFTER I finish all the story's coming up. Or at least until I'm done with the sequel.

The point is, the goal post is in site, and you had better give some good reviews.

Or else ... I can keep the sequel to myself as looooong as I want to.

But I'm so nice ... I never go through with my threats, just ask my sister.

(Flash)

Sister: Wimp

Knux33: I know.

Sister: Now tell me how to beat Darkri in Pokemon Dungen.

Knux33: ... leave now or be thrown out of the room.

Sister: No.

Knux33: ...

Sister: ... I'm going to bite you.

Knux33: ... ok, you have to 'blah blah blah--'

(Flash)

Yes, this is based on a real life event.

See you all on Wensday. Maybe Tuesday if your all nice and looootz review. Looooooooooootz... Maaaaaany ... u get iiiiiit ...

-knux33


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

11.

Allen wasn't sure how long he had been wondering through the dark desert tunnels, but he was sure of one thing.

The missing egg was in the next chamber.

He didn't know where the feeling came from, but he was positive that the fourteenth egg was in the next cavern. With two akuma.

Innocence activated, he creeped slowly to the entrance of the cavern, listening to two bickering voices.

"Its moving! Quick, _smash_ it!"

"No! We should eat it!"

"_Step_ on it!"

"Eat it!"

"_Crush_ it!"

"Eat it!"

"_No_! Innocence wouldn't taste good at all!"

"How do you know?"

"I just do, know lets _smash_ it before it runs away--"

"Aw, can't we play with it first?"

"Hmm, that sounds fun,"

A long screech filled the chamber, sounding like a frightened bird.

The akuma were hunched over something, and though he couldn't see it Allen now knew beyond a doubt that they were talking about the missing egg.

Apparently, it had hatched.

Running in, Allen saw as the akuma turned that one had already hurt the small dragonet, a long cut going down its right forearm. Full of anger, Allen cut down the two surprised Akuma quickly, concerned for the small dragon.

But once the akuma had been dispatched, the little creature was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Allen called out softly, "Hello? Little dragon?"

His word echoed hollowly off the rock walls.

Allen was worried, the wound hadn't looked too bad, but he didn't know if the little guy was ok.

"Its ok," He called out, looking through the nooks and crevices in the walls around him. "I won't hurt you."

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw the small reptile crammed in a small hole of the wall, shivering. Smiling, Allen slowly approached the hole's opening.

"Its ok," He told it again softly, unable to make it's color out in the dark.

Allen slowly stretched his right hand into the hole, rewarded with a sharp bite he pulled it back. He looked at the wound, it was minor.

A small amount of red blood oozed through the small little holes now present on his hand. It looked like some saliva was on the hand too.

Wincing at his own foolishness, Allen took a step back and called it, "Its ok, I'm a friend."

"Friend?" A young, hesitant voice called out.

"I'm Allen," The boy said softly to the now visible glowing white eyes. "I'm sorry I scared you. Are you alright?"

"I 'right," It said, still sounding scared. "You kill things?"

"Yeah, I killed the akuma."

Slowly, The small dragon poked its head out of the hole. It looked even smaller than Smudge had been when he hatched. "You no hurt me?"

"I won't hurt you," Allen reassured it, carefully presenting his right hand again. "Would you like to come out?"

Slowly, like a mouse, a small ashen gray dragon slid forward.

Allen was relived to see its forearm was only scratched, the small wound already scabbing over. "Does your arm hurt?" He hesitantly touched the dragon's arm. The beast still seemed shy, but did not pull away from the touch.

Instead, it licked at the bite it had given him. "Sorry," It looked sadly up at him. "Me do bad."

"I'm alright," Allen reassured the small speckled gray creature, "You didn't go that deep."

"It _bad_," The dragon stressed at him, still licking it every now and again. "Sorry Alan."

"Al-_len_,"

The gray reptile cocked its head at him.

"Al-_len_?"

"Very good!" The white-haired boy cried out, "You're a fast learner."

"Thank-you Al-_len_." The dragonet's body was a light gray splattered all over with a darker steel color, making it blend easily into the rock. "But bite still _bad_."

"As long as you don't do it again," Allen said reassuringly, "Its ok."

"Its _bad _Al-_len_." The exorcist shook his head with a smile, and sat down on the ground and leaned on the wall, yawning.

However long he had been searching for this little dragon, he hadn't slept in all that time. Thanks to his curse, he knew that the only akuma within a three-hundred meters were laying in pieces on the other side of the chamber, souls freed.

The dragon's slimy black tongue continued to lick at his hand. Surprisingly, the flow of blood was already beginning to stop, the wound beginning to seal itself.

Drowsily thinking that there must be something good in dragon saliva to make his wound heal so fast, Allen fell asleep.

"Allen?" The dragon asked, getting more used to the name. Allen didn't answer, sleeping off the excitement of the last day or so. The dragon made a whining noise deep in its throat, but the exorcist was out cold.

"Its _bad_ Allen" The little gray creature began licking more vigorously at the wound, its tongue working overtime trying to work the small amount of venom that it had so foolishly injected out.

In the mean time, Allen dreamed. And in his dreams, he remembered one cold and windy night so very long ago--

**/DRDRDR/**

Trudging through the snow, far ahead of Mana, young Allen Walker watched delightedly as the white specks fell from the sky.

"Hurry up Mana!" Allen called back.

The older man, Mana, wore a faded suit and a large coat filled with small holes and a well taken care of top hat. Chuckling at the boy's youthful energy, he made his way forward.

"Slow down Allen!" He called ahead, "I don't have as much spring to my step as you do!"

Laughing, brown hair being tussled by the cold wind, Allen ran back. Both carried all of their worldly possessions in small weathered bags, their income only what they could scrape together.

"Hey Allen?" Mana asked, putting his bag down.

"Yes Mana?" A curious young Allen asked, wondering why they were stopping when the next town was only an hours walk away. Mana had told him so a few minutes ago.

"Come here," Mana had picked up a sturdy old stick laying on the side of the road and had begun to draw in the dirt with it. Allen, ever curious, leaned closer to see better.

Mana had drawn a circle in the dirt, and he then gave the stick to Allen. The brown haired boy looked at him, confused.

"Go ahead Allen," Mana reassured him. "This is going to be our code, just for you and me. How do you think we should write it?"

A delighted grin took up the boy's face. He looked at the circle, puzzled for a moment, then put a line down. He looked up at the older man and explained that thats where the first word began.

Mana, looking curious, asked what the first few worlds should be. Allen, joyful at the new game, quickly make up the first line, Mana added a second, then he added a third--

Before the two realized it, the circle was full of lines and slashes, some even resembling musical notes Allen had seen once before on a sheet of music. They had even had to add a second circle within the first one to fit all the lines Allen wanted.

"You can't just end it there Mana!" The boy had continually said, until he was satisfied with their 'code.'

"Mana..." Allen said, thinking hard.

"Yes Allen?"

"Something's missing..."

Mana groaned. "We've been at it for two hours now Allen, we're going to have to get going soon if we don't want to be walking to the inn in the dark."

"I know," The boy said, "But it needs something right here." Allen pointed at the middle of the two circles with his oven-mitten.

"Hmm, you're right Allen," Mana said, then he began to draw again with the discarded stick. Slowly, a crest formed right in the heart of their 'code.' The same crest on his cuff buttons.

Allen's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Its perfect Mana! How'd you know that was just right?"

Mana laughed, "When you get to be as old as I am Allen, you'll know what's 'just right' too!" The old man gingerly moved his stiff bones and grabbed his bag, Allen hesitating to do the same.

"Whats the matter Allen?" Mana asked.

"We can't just leave it," Allen said, looking very torn. "We just made it perfect."

"Don't worry," Mana reassured him, "Now, just look at it. Look hard." Allen did as he was told, staring at the dirt drawn figure. "Now, take a picture for your memory's, then you'll never lose it."

"But Mana!" Allen exclaimed. "What if I forget?"

"You won't Allen." Mana said comfortingly. "You won't, you're a smart boy. If you can remember every trick I've taught you so far, you'll be able to remember this easy."

The boy looked very heartened by Mana's words, but nether the less still looked over his shoulder constantly when they finally left the drawing behind.

"You won't forget." Mana reassured him yet again.

"How can you be sure Mana?" Allen asked. "It was special, and perfect--"

"And thats why I know you'll remember." Mana told him. "You remember everything special."

Allen grinned, and the two made there way on the last stretch towards this night rest, to be ready for work in the morning.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen awoke groggily, old memory's still playing about in his mind. He felt a pleasant wet sensation on the back of his head.

But remembering the wound there, he hesitantly put his hand on it, only to find that the bandage Lavi had placed there was gone and the wet feeling wasn't blood, but more possibly dragon spit.

The little dragon had curled up at his back, and was now peering at him with its white eyes and gray pupils, looking curious. "Allen better?" It asked when the exorcist stretched.

"A lot better," Allen said, realizing his head no longer hurt in the least, " thank-you--"

Allen then realized that the little dragon hadn't been named yet. Looking down at it he asked, "Would you like a name?"

"Yes, yes please Allen!"

Cheered by the dragon's enthusiastic response, Allen pondered. The creature was decidedly male, and it's speckled gray coat almost demanded a name like 'spot.' But then Allen got a flash of inspiration from his musings, "Speck."

The dragon tilted its head, pondering at the name. Then, it gave an unmistakable smile, "Yes, Speck."

It flapped its wings happily, "Speck good!"

"Good," Allen laughed at its rejoicing. "Hey, lets go home now."

The dragon stopped and looked at him, puzzled. "Home?"

"Home," Allen answered with a smile. He offered his hand, and Speck flew over to perch on his shoulder.

The exorcist began climbing the rock wall, using his Crown Clown Belt to speed up his assent. Speck was fascinated with Allen's innocence, looking curiously at his left arm and white cloak.

"What Allen doing?"

"I'm using my innocence."

"Innocence ..." The dragon said thoughtfully, holding on to Allen as he finally made it to the top of the cavern, pulling himself out into the desert sun.

The dragon blinked rapidly, his gray pupils retracting to thin slits. "What that?" Speck tried to focus in on the setting sun, but looked away quickly, little eyes watering.

"It's the sun Speck," Allen told him, "You really shouldn't look directly at it, it hurts."

"Yes, hurt bad." Speck agreed as he wiped at his eyes with a small clawed finger.

Allen looked from the sun, to the eastern horizon. He then turned south, the direction the train was in. Sighing at the distance yet to be covered, Allen started walking and hoped he didn't get lost once the sun set, that being his only way of telling east from west in the barren wasteland, and trudged on.

Soon, the sun was gone and the stars came out, one by one. Allen was amazed at the amount of them.

He hadn't been in real wasteland, far from city lights, in so long he had almost forgotten the way the true night sky looked.

The majesty wasn't lost on Speck. "Beautiful," The dragon sighed contently.

"Yeah," Allen agreed, trying to count them all. "Beautiful."

A comfortable silence fell on the two, and they made their way southward. At least, Allen hoped they were still moving south.

And the night dragged on, cold and dry. Until--

"Bad things." Speck said, his small body tensing on Allen's shoulders. The gray dragon was looking straight ahead at the southern horizon.

Allen squinted, seeing nothing. Then, a few paces later, he was alerted to the presence of several akuma in the direction they were going in.

There was no way to avoid the akuma without going off course, and Allen couldn't afford to lost his way in the desert. He had no water or food, and he had a hatchling to feed.

The only way was to go through the akuma.

Activating his innocence again, Allen steeled himself for a fight. Speck seemed nervous, his little hook-like claws digging into Allen's shoulder.

"Hey," Allen said gently, "If your scared you can fly above while I take care of them."

Speck look relived, but a little worried. "Allen ok? Allen not get hurt?"

"No way," Allen reassured the little gray dragon. "I'll be alright, just try not to worry."

"Speck try," He spread his wings and took of, circling above. The dragon was nearly invisible in the night sky; the only way for Allen to keep track of his movements was for him to simply look where the stars disappeared.

Satisfied that the akuma wouldn't be able to see the still young dragon, let alone harm him, Allen marched forward. Ready to face the mass of Level threes.

As he neared their location, the akuma again rose from the sands and readied for battle.

As Allen cut them apart, his cape protecting him from most of their attempted attacks, he wondered if the akuma even cared that so many of them were being destroyed for no reason at all.

As he worked his way forward, determined to face his direction of travel as to not get lost, his Crown Belt easily speared the akuma trying to claw him from behind.

It was so strange, with his innocence activated, it sometimes felt like he had eyes on the back of his head.

Well, technically he did, if his innocence really did think for itself. Which it _did_ seem to do ... sometimes.

He fell out of his thoughts when he realized the last of the akuma were destroyed and littering the sand behind him. A small gray blur materialized out of the darkness around him and attached itself to his shoulder.

Speck rubbed his head affectionately against Allen's cheek as he deactivated his innocence, though his the world around him stayed black and white, showing that his eye had not turned off along with his innocence.

Allen was surprised, he had been able to control the curse for a long time now. He hadn't thought control would be a problem anymore, but as Speck looked with fascination at the left side of his face, Allen groaned at the colorless image he was given of the desert around him.

Deciding the fault was with the large amount of akuma below the desert sands far behind him now, and the fact that his eye had always bothered him more at night, he walked on through the desert.

"Allen's eye different." Spec told him, looking at it with a touch of awe.

"Yeah, but it will go back to being normal soon." Allen hoped he was right.

As the night wore on, Allen became surprised with the clarity of what he saw in black and white, revealing the life of the desert night around him in the forms of reptiles, bugs, and small birds.

Speck took off, surprising Allen when he landed on a small worm-like snake, quickly killing and eating it before the thing even had a chance to hiss.

His own belly grumbling, Allen wished he could eat some of the lizards crawling by raw like the dragonet was doing, but he had tried that before.

His belly had ached for days after and Master Cross had been very cross with him for doing something so stupid, ignoring the fact that Allen hadn't eaten anything else besides the raw meat in days...

Lost in his musings, Allen almost tripped over a desert shrub before coming out of it. Wondering if his lack of attention was due to hunger and sleep deprivation, Allen lead the way towards civilization, and hopefully home.

Speck ate all along the way, growing far slower than the well fed Smudge and Sunny had, but growing all the same.

His eye had returned to normal before they had reached the train station, thankfully, but Allen still had to take care to make sure no one noticed the large reptile hidden in his bag.

Allen knew they would have to walk the rest of the way across the continent when Speck grew too large to hide in even the largest of suitcases.

And as the small dragonet grew into a dragon, his stomach demanded more food, and he became smarter and more cunning as he and Allen made their way across South America.

Without Tim or any other golem, Allen couldn't contact the Order. But as the days passed and Allen was able to join Speck in the air, they passed the mountains and towns to the east coast relatively quickly.

And so it came when they prepared for the flight across the Atlantic, going far faster than the fastest transport ship--

They were all the more closer to home.

End 11.

**AN:** The little Mana/Allen thing was written_ so_ long before this chapter was even close to conception its not even funny. But you all have to admit, Allen/Mana memory's are cute...

And Kid!Allen is always cute!

So are little speckly gray dragons.

Sigh... Home is such a wonderful concept.

Thank-you to all those that are reviewing! You are all amazing and deserve candy! (Throws candy assortment) But not the skittles ... the skittles are MINE (Snarfs skittles)

Please, was the memory realistic? Be truthful now!

-knux33


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

12.

After crossing the Atlantic in one long night, Speck still small and bony compared to the other dragons, the two ended up somewhere on the west coast of Africa.

Sadly, Allen could see the town they had ended up in was not in good times. Many buildings were in ruins and half-starved people and animals made up a majority of the small population.

Most of the population was distinctly African, and only a few could speak English.

After asking around, Allen found that he was in the dock town of Monrovia, Liberia. Or, what was left of it.

"What happened here?" He asked a thin British-looking thirteen-year-old boy with rag-like clothing and dirty blond hair.

A younger blond girl was on the boy's thin back, staring at Allen with hollow, hungry eyes. She looked sick. But thankfully, they both spoke coherently.

"Demons," The boy answered, "Only creatures from hell would laugh like them that did this."

Allen listened grimly as he was told of an attack that happened weeks ago, destroying the area's trade and livelihood. The local militia had been destroyed within the first few hours.

Before the boy left, Allen asked him one last question. "Do you know if there's anyone willing to sell livestock around here?"

The boy shook his head at the exorcist. "We got most everythin' from trade, now that thats in ruins I doubt anyone will sell ya a crust of bread, let alone a whole cow."

"Thank-you for your trouble," Allen said politely, then moved on through the wasted streets back to the thicker forest on the outskirts, where he had left Speck.

The speckled gray dragon was plainly skinny, ribs showing clearly against his scaly hide. "Food?" The dragon asked hopefully.

"No Speck," Allen said sadly, patting the dragon's muzzle. "There aren't any farms near here. We'll have to get something for you tomorrow when we reach are next destination."

Allen didn't specify, not knowing how long or far the dragon would be able to fly in such a condition with an equally skinny exorcist on his back.

"Allen eat?" The dragon inquired.

"No, it doesn't look like half the people here could feed themselves, let alone me."

"Allen," The dragon rumbled disapprovingly. "You hungry, Allen should eat."

"Since when did you become so picky?" Allen asked, cuddling up next to the dragon's side to sleep the day away.

Flying at night was far safer for the dragon than in broad daylight.

"Allen skinny."

"Your not doing very good yourself."

"Speck ok, Speck can go without food _much_ longer than Allen." The dragon argued.

"Well Mr. Skin-and-bones, what do you propose I eat then? I didn't see anyone giving out free snacks around here."

"Eat fish." The dragon suggested. "Birds. Like Speck." The said morsels hadn't seemed to help the dragon much.

"And how am I supposed to catch my meal?" Allen opened his arms, showing he currently had nothing besides the clothes on his back and a small water pack.

"Innocence?" Speck asked.

"I would," Allen sighed, laying down, "But that would just make me hungrier. And I highly doubt there is anything worth eating close by, since you've seemed to have eaten everything. We'll just have to wait till tomorrow Speck."

The speckled gray beast sighed, and curled it's thin body around Allen. "Allen eat lots tomorrow."

"Speck too." Allen reminded him, yawning.

"Speck too," The dragon agreed, watchful white eyes glowing faintly in the forest gloom.

**/DRDRDR/**

"Damn tourists."

Not far away, the boy and his sickly sister picked through some trash, hoping to find something, _anything_, eatable.

"He didn't seem bad to me." His sister argued, "We've only been here a few years ourselves." She fell silent, picking hopefully at a discarded hamburger. Her brother quickly snatched it, removing the meat patty.

"Just eat the bread and veggies," He advised, "The meat's probably bad by now." He handed the rest back to her, and the girl quickly gobbled down the meager pickings.

The two children, unwilling to go to what was left of the local police or child care, had been barely living on what they could find and catch themselves.

It wasn't much. But due to some miracle, they had found enough to last this long. Not small thanks to all of the partially demolished buildings with food inside along with what was left of the former owners.

Those left didn't have the man power to clean up all the of the city yet, most of the downtown still laying in rubble and disrepair.

"Yeah, he wasn't mean, but he probably had enough money on him to buy whatever he needed to get and more," The boy grumbled, shifting the trash around, "Did you see the silver on his coat?"

His sister was silent.

"Come on Val," The boy said softly, "You know stealing is all thats gotten us through these last few weeks."

"I know Mark," She said sadly, climbing onto her brother's back as they made their way down the same wooded path the tall white-haired teen had. "But it that doesn't make it right."

"We only need enough money to live off of for a little while," Mark reassured her, "We won't be taking any of his money or supplies, we'll just take his coat. That alone will probably hold us over until we find a good place to stay."

"But Mark," The little blond protested, "It didn't look like he had anything besides his coat on him."

The boy grinned reassuringly back at her, trying to walk quietly through the forest path. "Val, the guy would have to be a total _idiot_ to be so far from any real civilization with no extra money or supplies."

The girl glared at him. "And how do you know he's not an idiot?"

"Well--" The dirty-blond boy thought for a moment. "Ok, so I don't know. But he didn't look skinny."

"He was wearing a big coat, you can't tell whether a person is fat or skinny in those things. And if you had been paying attention, ya would of seen that his cheeks looked skinny and his eyes were sunken."

Mark scoffed. "Is' just like you to be looking at a guy's eyes instead of the silver he's got on him--"

"Well if he doesn't have enough to feed himself properly, should we really be stealing his coat?"

Neither were even trying to be silent anymore, seemingly forgetting about their mission as they talked about it.

"Look Val, who cares about some tourist? If he's starving anyway and hasn't sold the coat yet, then he probably isn't going to. We might as well take it if he isn't going to use it."

"But he was wearing it. Thats using it."

"T-thats not the point! The point is that we need money and food, you're not getting any better and--"

"Who says I'm not getting any better?" The girl demanded. Mark knew he had made a big mistake. "I could walk right now if I wanted too."

"I know, I know!" Mark hastily reassured her. "I'm just caring you around to get bigger muscles!"

"You'd better know it." His sister grumbled, but though her brother was sweating from the exertion she still knew that she was hotter that he was.

The fever had been lingering for a few days now, making her incapable of walking anything but short distances without getting dizzy spells.

And it was only getting worse, despite her brother giving her all of the food they found lately. The siblings were disparate, and they were getting very close to where Allen and Speck had set up camp.

The dragon heard them coming, and curled tighter around the sleeping exorcist. The dragon's speckled coat helped hide him from the approaching children, though his eyes still glowed faintly against the sunlight falling from the trees.

The kids didn't see the curious white eyes following them as they came ever closer, Mark carrying Val carefully through the foliage.

"We need the money Val."

"I know Mark. But this--"

"This is what we need to do Val."

Speck had heard Allen speak of this 'money,' telling him that most people possessed it and desired more.

Figuring these people wanted money, which Allen had complained before of his lack there off, the dragon decided the small children were no threat, and curled back up.

With one ear carefully trained on the kids taking a rest nearby.

Mark, unaware of the great beast and slumbering exorcist almost three yards away from him and his sister, gently put Val down and rubbed his sore feet.

"You ok?" His blond sister asked him.

"Yeah, I'm just not used to hiking without any boots." He grinned, still rubbing at his smarting feet.

"Ya think he's walking all the way to the next city?"

"Now _that _would be stupid," Mark told her, "Especially without a horse, car, or riverboat."

"He could just be this stupid." Val said, leaning against a tree trunk, "Most boys are."

"Hey," Mark objected.

"Its the truth," She protested, not knowing Speck was listening to every word.

The dragon pondered, wondering just who the two were talking about. He swung his head around again, slowly as to not alert the small humans. He wanted to see them _and_ hear them.

"I guest your right," Mark groaned as he put his foot onto the ground again. "Seeing as your the one wearing shoes."

His sister blushed, "Its not my fault all the shoes we find are either to big or too small for your feet!"

Mark laughed, "Its ok, we have to find that white-haired guy soon anyway, he couldn't have gone too far."

White hair? Speck knew his Allen had white hair, he wondered if they had to find Allen to ask for some 'money,' or 'shoes.' Deciding he might as well see, just in case, Speck called out, "Looking for Allen?"

The two kids froze, a loud voice coming from an unknown location was never good. Especially one as strange sounding as the one seemingly addressing them.

"W-who's there?" Mark asked, not even looking in Speck's direction.

"Speck here," The dragon said, stretching out his head so they could see him. "Want Allen?"

They gave him a very strange reaction, mouths gaping and eyes bulging. Wondering if he had said something wrong, Speck said hesitantly, "Allen sleeping, come later?"

The girl gulped, and said just as hesitantly back, "Who's A-Allen?"

Speck blinked at them. "White-hair Allen."

They both blinked back. "We w-would like to ask him s-something," Mark said.

"Ok, later. Allen sleeping now."

"C-can we stay here until he wakes u-up?" Val asked, almost making her brother drop her.

"_What_?!"

"Shhh!" She shushed him, "If you would excuse us for a moment?" She asked the dragon.

"Yes, yes," Speck assured them by tucking his head back, then added, "Quiet, Allen sleeping."

"Ok," Val whispered. Getting no response, she hissed into her brother's ear, "Did you see _that_?!"

"How could I not? Its head was bigger than the upper half of my body--"

"No! I mean, did you see how polite it was?"

"Polite? That was a _demon_--"

"No demon would be that nice Mark."

"How do you know?"

"Well, It's eyes weren't like the thing's that attacked the city--"

"But it's eyes were still _strange_--"

"It doesn't matter," His normally level headed sister snapped, "Did you see its wings?"

"That thing has _wings_? I was looking at the _horns_--"

"Shh!" Quickly checking to see if the dragon's head popped out again, Val said "That must be how he's going to get around."

"Who?"

"The white-haired guy! Allen!"

"Oh ... sis, I don't think we should associate with demons and their servants--"

Groaning at her thick-headed brother, Val growled, "First, if that had been a demon, it would of eaten us first and asked questions later, like the ones that attacked our city.

Second, stop being such a block head, demons don't have white-haired servants--"

"How the hell are supposed to know what kind of servants demons have?"

"I don't know! White is too much of a holy color, and the clothes he was wearing had crosses on them, so I guess--"

Both were talking very loudly, and Speck found that he should intervene. "Please quiet." The dragon said to the again startled children. "Speck not a demon, Allen nice. Please quiet."

"Speck?" The siblings echoed.

"Me Speck," The dragon said proudly. The two only then noticed the specked gray coloring of the dragon's scales.

"Third, and final reason this can't be a demon," Val proclaimed to her brother, "No creature of the underworld would be proud of the name 'Speck.'"

"Point taken." He brother agreed.

"Why?" The dragon asked. "Name good."

Silence. And the the two burst out in laughter, falling onto the forest floor. The dragon only became more confused, and a little hurt.

"Speck good name," He said sadly.

"Hehe-- Yes of course its a –Hahahahe—good name Speck--" Val tried to get out, before dissolving into laughter again.

Mark couldn't get out anything relatively coherent.

It was at this point that Allen groaned and got up, peering over the dragon's large bony gray bulk to see what was going on. He looked very surprised at the sight of a depressed dragon and two giggling children.

"Hello?" He asked tentatively, not exactly sure what was going on.

The sibling immediately stopped laughing and gathered themselves, Speck looking at them grumpily.

"Now you woke Allen!" The dragon exclaimed.

"Its ok," Allen reassured the dragon, "We need to get moving soon anyway."

Looking again over the dragon's shoulder, the exorcist asked, "And just what are those two doing here?"

"Ahem," Val began, Mark waiting to see just what grand scheme his sister had cooked up. "We would like to travel with you to wherever it is you are going--"

"No." Allen said, breaking the girl's speech.

"But we wouldn't be a problem!" The girl exclaimed, Mark almost scoffing at her lieing through her teeth. "We just need to go to a bigger city, or someplace we can live without child services trying to catch us."

Mark was surprised at the truthfulness of the last statement, and wondered if that would help or demote their cause.

It seemed to help, a little.

"Speck can only carry so much," Allen argued with them, but then seemed to give a bit, "But seeing as you two aren't even scared of him--"

To help emphasize the point, Mark and Val walked closer to the dragon and ran their hands along the warm scales of Speck's flank.

"-- and you're both as skinny as we are--"

The children didn't know anything they could do to highlight the obvious fact besides looking hungry.

"--and you both obviously want to go, I guess the best course of action for the both of you to take is--"

The two held their breath--

"--to go to child services."

--And they both gaped at him.

"_What_?" They protested, thinking the ride was assured.

"Girl sick," Speck said.

"Running from the problem isn't going to make it go away," Allen added, "What your sister needs is quality care and real food, not a dragon ride."

"Do you think they have that here anymore?" Mark yelled at the two. "Half the city is destroyed, I doubt anyone is going to care for a sick girl 'properly' right now."

"We aren't running away from anything." The blond added, "We have nothing left here and we'd just rather move on in the fastest way possible."

Allen mulled it over, wishing he didn't have to be stuck with the decision.

"Allen," Speck said, "Me carry all, all eat soon, all happy!"

The dragon decided, Allen just went with it. "We'll, if Speck says so--"

Before he could finish the sentence, the two climbed up onto the beast's back, Mark helping Val with a strong grip and pull.

"Well?" The children chorused.

Shaking his head at the trouble he'd gotten himself into, Allen climbed up behind them and told them to grip the dragon firmly by the protruding scales along his back before Speck had taken off, and they were all no more than a speck in the dimming night sky.

**/DRDRDR/**

Speck landed a short half-hour later (He's gliding at a steady 1250 miles per hour people) when they were gliding over the central region of Africa, and spotted several herds of animals grazing below.

Speck bellowed at the sight of so much live meat, and swooped downward, almost losing his passengers.

"Hold on tight!" Allen yelled at the two in from of him before the flight came to a jarring stop and Speck had his claws and fangs full of screaming gazelle. A few loud cracks filled the air, and the animals were no longer screaming.

Slipping off of the dragon, they saw Speck held at least five dead animals in his claws. The dragon put them down and said, "For Allen," Before taking off in search of more.

The two children stared at the heap of corpses and wondered how the skinny teen could _eat_ allof that. The watched as Allen quickly build up a fire and had it going by the time Speck came back looking a lot less skinnier than before.

They wondered how the creature could fill in all of it's bulk with one meal as Allen directed Speck in skinning the carcases, and using his own innocence to do the finner cutting of getting the meat off of the bone.

The two stared in awe and fear at the now clawed black hand and flowing noble white cloak. Allen noticed and reassured them that it was normally for killing demons.

The children would of questioned him on that fact, if the local wildlife hadn't been getting bolder. Val squeaked when she saw several African wild dogs gazing at them from the dark surrounding them.

"Shoo!" She yelled at the scavengers. "Get!"

The molted colored dogs just ignored her and stared at the baking meat, tongues flapping as they panted and paced at the edge of the fire's light. Their eyes glowed eerily in the gloom.

"Ignore them," Allen said, turning some of the meat over on the make-shift spit. "Their only doing what their supposed too."

"And what the hell are these hounds of hell supposed to be doing?" Mark demanded, he and his sister scooting closer to the fire.

"They eat whatever we don't," Allen informed them, passing them some chunks of meat. "Which sadly won't be much."

"What do you mean?" Mark said, gobbling down his meal. "There's still a few pounds of meat left on the spit--"

He never finished his sentence, the rest of the meat was gone, and Allen was sucking the last of the juices from his fingers. The children were amazed.

"Did you just eat _all_ of that by yourself?" Mark demanded, his own meal still far from finished.

"Yep," Allen said happily, putting the remaining meat above the fire to cook. Speck gnawed happily at the bones as Allen fried the last of the gazelle slowly on the spit.

"And your going to eat _more_?" Val asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Allen said again, testing the meat with one black claw.

Seeing that the core of the flesh had lost all pinkness, the exorcist pulled the meat away from the fire and began devouring it with such a gusto that even the dragon had to smile at his enthusiasm.

"Where does it all go?" Mark asked, not expecting an answer.

When he was done, which didn't take long, Allen noticed all of his companions were nodding around the fire. Speck was already snoring, scaring the pack that had surrounded them into abandoning their curiosity and running into the night, looking for their own meal.

Tired and pleasantly content himself, Allen curled up near Speck and was surprised to find that he wasn't alone long.

Weighing the danger's of the African night and drowsing next to a sleeping dragon, the children decided to rest closer to the reptile and exorcist instead.

Smiling at their rational, but at the same time irrational, fear of the big beast, Allen tried to sleep.

After a while of listening to the others snore and shift in their own sleep, Allen found he himself couldn't find rest. Feeling bored, he was very surprised when his eye activated of its own accord.

There were no akuma in it's range, but the world turned to black and white all the same, giving clarity to the dark night beyond the fire's dying flames.

Allen watched in amazement as the pack of wild dogs they had seen earlier took down a gazelle of their own, quickly taking the chosen beast down in a fine display of pack teamwork.

Looking further across the plains, he spotted a group of growling lions feasting on their own meal of partially decomposed wildebeest.

Thousands of animals hunted, feasted, and starved tonight. Allen sat spellbound as he found he could look farther than ever before, and not just to zero in on an akuma's soul.

Val stirred, and turned in her sleep. Soon after she sat up, yawning, and wobbled behind a nearby bush.

Averting his eye's politely, Allen looked in on a small family of bush-babys as they leapt from tree to tree in search of insects and fruit to eat.

The girl stumbled back, still uneasy on her feet, laying down in between Mark and Allen. She rubbled her eyes, and then stared at Allen.

Allen stared back, wondering what was wrong.

"Y-your eye--" She whispered.

Allen blinked, realizing that neither kid had seen his eye activated yet, even though they had seen his innocence. He pondered, wondering if it was the red glowing pupil or floating cogs that were freaking her out.

Val gulped, trying to speak clearly and failing. It all came out in one jumble of syllables. Her brother woke, yawning widely, and also stared at the left side of the exorcist's face.

"Your eye--" The boy swallowed, "Its-- its a-- dragon--"

Speck had roused, and was looking at all of them with his strange eyes, glowing brightly in the darkness. They were all staring at Allen's cursed left eye.

"What?" Allen asked, "I know it looks strange, but it helps me tell who's an akuma and who's not."

Val pointed, "But its--"

"A dragon's--" Mark added.

When they stopped, Speck added the last word. "Eye."

Allen stiffened. He knew his eye must of evolved, it explained the larger range of sight and greater control, but he never would of thought that-- that--

A dragon's eye?

End 12.

**AN**: Hehe, thought you had the reason for the title of this story down didn't you? Surprise!

Well everyone, this is the second to last chapter. The next is the last, and the one you may kill me for. But before you do so, stay tuned for the after information featured, like why I started writing this crazy piece if the first place, what exactly DRDRDR means, and a few questions answered.

I will load the last chapter on 6-7-08.

And will you all please review? I know there are at least twenty more people reading this that aren't reviewing ... but as long as you enjoy this I guess you can go on reading ... and not reviewing ... (Sob) ... But--

REVIEW PLEASE! THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER DARN YOU!

(Ahem). Thank-you!

And random observation, did anyone esle besides be notice you got chapter 12 on 6-6? Six plus Six equals--

Yeah.

A large thank-you to my editor for pointing out some flaws in this part of the story, helping to guide me to do more research.

-knux33


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Dragon's Eye

Author: Knux33

13.

They flew in an uncomfortable silence for a few thousand miles, until Val finally had the courage to ask a question.

"So, where exactly _is_ this place we're going too?"

"I'm going back to the Order," Allen informed her. "You and your brother are going to ride until the next big city, and then you're both getting off."

Val and Mark shared a secret conspiratorial smile at that. They knew just how to get to go to this 'Black Order' place with the exorcist. The secret was all in how they played their cards.

"But what if they split me and Mark up?" Val whimpered, playing the 'little sister.'

"We only hid from the police because we know just what happens to orphans now and days." Mark asserted, playing the 'big brother' and leaving Allen to fill in the unsaid blanks.

"Its better than what used to happen to kids alone on the street back when I was abandoned." Allen said quietly. "Back then, it was work or starve."

"Work?" Mark asked at the exorcists turned back. "What work could a kid possibly do?"

"Lots of work." Allen turned, face stone. "Paying pedophiles were around back then too."

Silence. The children gapped open mouthed at the teen's back. They were almost shocked enough to fall off the gliding dragon. Then the awkwardness got worse.

"Allen," Speck asked. "What is a 'pedophile?'"

As the boy proceeded to tell his dragon about certain illegal sexual activities, the two kids behind him were forced to listen to every gruesome word.

Allen quite happily gave the kids their first lesson on how to cheat in poker; always keep your face as clear as crystal, even when you're lieing through your teeth.

Sure, he could of just told them about his life with Cross, but he had a strange suspicion they may just laugh at half the things Cross had made him do.

A few more hours of silent flight after his 'I lived through far worse than you two ever could' lesson, Val said, "We still don't want to get separated."

"How do you know you will?" Allen asked.

"Its what normally happens." Mark said. "One kid is sick, the other is well and both are starving. You only have enough finances and supplies to feed so many kids. They cut their losses and let the sickly one die."

"No they don't." Allen assured them. "At least, not anymore--"

Before he could go onto another tangent, Mark blurted "We'd really rather just stay with you."

"Why?" Allen asked, genuinely surprised. He had thought that the two were significantly scared of his innocence, cursed eye, and dragon.

"Because you can kill akuma." Val said. "And wherever your going is sure to be safe."

"Nowhere you can go is truly safe from akuma," Allen told them sadly. "In fact, the Black Order is one of their major targets."

"Who cares!" Mark exclaimed. "With you and Speck we can at least see them coming and run for the hills! Thats better than what _our_ home had."

Allen couldn't help but agree partially to that. A warning of akuma approach was a miracle only recently given to the Order. And now that they had the dragon's eyes--

Allen pondered for a moment. Now he too had a dragon's eye.

What could it mean? Did his sight now match what dragon's saw all the time, black and white? Why would his eye evolve in such a way, if only to mirror half of what the dragon's already had?

"Hello!" Val called forward, "We're going too far east! We need to turn north here if ya want to get to the Mediterranean Sea instead of the Red Sea."

"How do you know that?" Allen asked, Speck already turning northward.

"I'm one of those freaky people that likes to look at maps for no reason," She informed him, "And I'm very good with distances. I almost never get lost."

Allen laughed, he couldn't help it. Val and Mark stared at him, and he explained that he was one of those people that constantly got lost, one way or another.

Mark gapped, "But you know where the Order is, right?"

"Yep," Allen said confidently, "It's in Great Britain."

"Oh!" Mark exclaimed, "We used to live there! My sis knows every map of the continent from top to bottom!"

"_Where_ in Great Britain?" Val asked, going though the maps in her head.

"..."

"Do do know the _general_ location?"

"Somewhere close to a train station...?"

"... thats pathetic."

Allen quickly said, "I would usually sleep on the train rides back and everyone else knew where it was and I can find it by looking--"

"From a few thousand feet up?" Val said.

"Yeah!" Allen exclaimed, remembering something. "Headquarters is really high, surrounded by a forest, and the ark is floating above it! If we continue to travel at night the ark will show the way like a beacon!"

"Ark?" The children chorused.

Allen smiled back at them and said, "You'll see," and so their ride to the Order was accidentally assured.

**/DRDRDR/**

And so the trio traveled, across Northern Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, across Italy, until they were finally crossing the English Channel.

"Are we there yet?" Mark moaned.

"No," Val said.

"I can see lights," Speck told them, "Are we home?"

"No," Allen said sadly, "Not yet."

**/DRDRDR/**

"Are we there _yet_?" Mark asked, again.

"NO!" The other three yelled.

They were now flying over a large city, lights sparling below the like a lake of light.

"I think we should go a bit more westward here," Allen said, Speck beginning to turn.

"East." Val argued, "West would bring us closer to Ireland, we should keep closer to the center of England."

Allen looked back at her, "But I really think we should go west a bit more--"

"No," Val insisted, "We are keeping the flying straight and we can come back if we miss it."

"But how will we know we missed it if we don't know where it is?" Mark asked.

"..."

"Process of elimination!" Val informed her brother, "We'll keep going where I say were going and we'll get there eventually!"

**/DRDRDR/**

When they finally reached the Order's headquarters after a few days of Val giving directions and the group scarfing down small herds of animals, Allen knew something was wrong before he got off of the dragon.

No one was there.

They left Speck alone on the balcony that used to house the other dragons, and took a look around.

He didn't even have to walk through the empty hallways and cleared out science department to know, something inside told him that everyone and everything was gone. And the headquarters, his home, was--

"Empty." Mark said as they walked through the dusty hallways, carrying Val on his back once again. "I think we must of made a wrong turn somewhere around--"

"Shh!" His sister quietly shushed him from his back.

"_What_?"Mark whined, only to find himself the only one talking in the hollow silence.

Allen Walker looked around at the familiar, but now made strange, cafeteria. The tables were gone, and the entrance to the kitchen was boarded up.

Where?

The question echoed through his mind, searching for the non-existent answer.

Where is everyone?

The children recognized the hollow look the exorcist had and quietly left him to his pondering. They had worn the same look when they had found their home in ruins and no bodys of their family anywhere to be seen.

Where?

They had later found the shredded remains of their parents a few blocks away.

Where?

They had both decided to look for a new home themselves after that. A few weeks after the decision they had met Allen Walker and Speck.

Where?

They had found hope in a new home shortly after that. But now ...

Where?

They would have to help Allen find his own home before they could find their own.

The two sat quietly in the hall outside of what was once the cafeteria, talking to one another.

"Where could they of gone?" Val asked, leaning her feverish head against her brother's shoulder.

Despite the now almost regular, healthy meals and rest, the girl was still sick. "Allen seemed sure that this was the right place."

"I know," Mark said, "But it looks like they moved out fast, some of the rooms I saw still had some furniture."

"Maybe their still moving some stuff and someone will come back around here eventually."

"Naw," Mark said, "It wouldn't of been so dusty everywhere if they had been coming back, and there would have been some foot prints or they would of left someone behind to make sure the place wasn't looted."

The two children jumped when they heard a moan come echoing form down the hall.

"W-what was t-that?" Mark said, holding tightly onto Val.

"A-Allen," She called shakily, "Its this p-place h-h-haunted?"

Silence.

"Allen!" Mark yelled, "Stop trying to scare my sister and tell us if this damn place is h-haunted!"

They heard another groan, closer this time, but the exorcist did not answer.

"Allen?" Both were shaking and squeezing the life out of each other. Again the two called the exorcist's name, but there was no answer.

They backed up to the now locked cafeteria doors. "_Allen_!"

Something stumbled around the corner, and the two screamed--

**/DRDRDR/**

Speck jolted upward at the children's screams, and frantically tried to get in through the balcony door. Though he was still much smaller than any of the other dragons, he was a few inches too wide around his chest to fit through the door.

Growling in frustration, he flew around and checked the windows to see if any were large enough for him to fit through.

Circling the building, he found none of the windows were even near to fitting his large proportions.

Speck listened intently, trying to pinpoint the children's location.

They screamed again, and he was off, claws tearing into the closest stone wall where the sound seeped through.

**/DRDRDR/**

Allen walked through the cafeteria slowly, his thoughts focused inward. He didn't know why the emptiness of the building hurt him so much.

He knew what he really missed was the people that were supposed to be here ... his family. He tried to reassure himself that they were fine, that there would have been blood and wreckage if there had been an attack.

But nothing could stop his heart from crying the same question, '_where_?'

Where is my family?

But then he saw a shadow speed across the wall opposite to him and his eye activated moments before dripping teeth sawed through the flesh of his right arm.

He remotely heard Val and Mark's screams, as if they were farther away then they really were, but he was in no condition to help them. He could barely keep _himself_ in one piece.

It was a level three, but unlike the hoards he had recently killed this one obviously was special.

It wasn't a humanoid.

This akuma was an armored, growling, hound of hell. Five eyes stared from the beast's cranium, it's yellowed teeth covered in a blackish saliva.

The wolf's tail was more like a fifth arm, with gripping claws sprouting from it. Though it's four paws seemed to have enough claws as the creature launched itself at the exorcist again, teeth already spattered with Allen's blood.

Wondering how the akuma could have possibly sneaked up on him like that, Allen activated his innocence and dodged it's attack.

The akuma was fast and could dig it's claws into the floor to halt its charge and reverse directions in a heart beat, almost sinking it's teeth into Allen yet again.

His heart still aching, but his mind and body strong, Allen attacked the beast claw to claw. His sword would only be a hindrance in fighting this fast and furious opponent.

It seemed to be a good decision when his right arm began to numb. Seeing the hound's still slobbering jaws, the strangely colored saliva now more likely a venom, Allen realized this fight was on a timer.

And his time was rapidly running out.

The chill spread up his arm as he used his Crown Belt in a desperate wide range attack to take care of the demon quickly.

It seemed to work, the akuma getting slashed deeply on the back, its black blood spilling to the dusty floor.

It screamed it's pain, a horrible sound between a dog's howl and child's wail, and leapt to the wall only too--

Disappear?

His eye confirmed the fact, though the soul had not been released, and Allen let his numb legs give way beneath him.

The poison had spread, and his innocence wasn't doing anything to halt it's progress.

Allen felt the poison wasn't the normal concoction most akuma had, in fact, it felt like cold arms were wrapping around his body, sucking away any and all warmth.

Still kneeling, he gripped his wounded arm, hoping the others were all right as he began to violently shiver and sweat, losing the fight against the darkness that had been eating away at the edges of his vision.

**/DRDRDR/**

Howard Link was not in good shape. Deep claw marks stripped down his back, blood flowing freely from the wounds the akuma had given him.

He had been one of the scientist's empty rooms, looking to do something to pass the time, when the thing had jumped out of nowhere, slashed his back open, and jumped into a hole in the floor that disappeared with its passing.

Cursing and groaning at his own inattentiveness, he quickly used his personal golem to contact the staff at the new headquarters and moved his bleeding body up to the higher floors where it would be easier for the coming help to reach him.

He groaned louder as he ascended the stairs to the cafeteria, wounds stretching and opening further.

_Damn it Walker_, He thought to himself through the pain, _Get yourself back here so I can take a decent break without being cut open!_

He had stationed himself here so that when Allen finally did return there would be someone to tell him that the Order had been moved due to orders from the higher ups.

Howard had thought that he would be safe from being bitten from that curse-ed golem for a while and look what happens to him, slashed open by an akuma that decided to pass by.

Thankfully the thing's claws didn't seem to have the standard toxins like most akuma, though this one did have a very nasty looking mouth--

"AHHHHHHHHH!!"

Howard nearly jumped out of his skin when two brats screamed bloody murder at him. For a second, he was just as freaked out as they seemed to be, but then he just went mad.

"What are you two doing in here?" He said in with a voice a military sergeant would be proud of. "This is private property--"

Before he could say another word, a loud crash and monstrous scream erupted from the cafeteria doors behind the children, causing them to scream again.

Their screams were answered by something similar to a small earthquake, the three of them falling heavily to the floor.

Link thought he heard something like digging and scrapping going on the other side of the doors.

Ignoring his pain and the two children frightened out of their wits by his bloodied appearance and the loud sounds, Howard broke down the locked cafeteria door to find--

A small dragon leaning over a wounded and unconscious Allen Walker, a gapping hole in the wall showing where the beast had entered.

The exorcist, Link was more than shocked to see, had a deep bite on his right arm, covered in a seething black substance that stood out all the more on Allen's pale skin.

It didn't look like he was breathing.

Rushing over to the unconscious teen, not sparing a glance to the giant gray creature whose kind he was now more than used to, he quickly ripped off some spare cloth from his already ragged and blood covered jacket and tried to efficiently wipe the black muck from the wound.

"Walker!"

No response.

"Damn it Walker!" Howard desperately slapped the teen, trying to get him conscious once more. "_Wake up_!"

The white haired exorcist was as limp as a corpse, and looking as cold as one, though he shivered violently.

"Al-_len_," The spotted gray beast behind him murmured, trying to force its great horned head around Link. "_Up_ Al-_len_."

Its tongue snaked out and licked at the wound, surprisingly removing a great amount of the vile tar that had scabbed on it.

The dragon made a face, "_Bad_." It pronounced, licking more of the gook with another swipe and spitting out the substance to the floor every once and a while.

Link let the beast clean the wound, as the water for most of the tower had been turned off, and he knew there was no nearby source handy.

Link busied himself calling the Order again and informing them of Allen Walker's return and injured state.

"--He's been poisoned, probably by the same akuma that attacked me." He finished, the dragon sucking on the wound, then spitting some foul mixture of blood, venom, and spit over its shoulder before repeating the process.

It became more and more careful with each repetition, though Allen looked like he was shivering just a little less.

"Don't worry!" Komui's annoying voice rang over the communicator, "Because Allen's a parasite type he should be fine in a few moments, have the black stars covered him yet?"

"No," Link said plainly, looking at the pale boy, the brats from before hesitantly walking into the room.

"... how about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"There are _no stars_ Komui, besides the ones I'm seeing from the damn blood loss anyway," Howard grumbled, feeling a little dizzy.

"What is his condition?" Komui sounded serious, finally.

"He's shivering like he's freezing to death and his temperature is dropping." Link watched as the dragon purged the exorcists blood one last time and the children, the boy carrying the girl, ran over to it's side.

"Al-_len_," It whined, "Wake up." The boy placed the girl down carefully by the beast and scurried over by Howard and Allen.

"I don't remember there being a gray dragon Komui," Howard said, taking note of the dragon's small stature compared to the others he had seen. "Did one recently hatch?"

"... No?" Komui said, "What are you talking about? The first dispatch shouldn't arrive for a few more minuets."

Howard started, "But there's one right here, it sucked out most if not all the poison in Allen's wound."

"Is it accompanied by anyone?"

"Two children are here with it and Allen." Howard informed Komui.

"Its Allen's dragon," The dirty-blond boy spoke up for the first time beyond screaming much like his sister.

"No, thats impossible," Howard said quietly, "Unless he can have two ...?"

"It would be the first case." Komui's voice came from the flapping golem.

"Two?" The boy demanded from Allen's side. "Where the hell is the other one?"

At that moment, a beautiful white dragon burst into the room, light reflecting off of its scales like a light from the very heavens above.

The beautiful creature was far larger than Speck, its horns as pearly white as polished ivory. It landed with more finesse than a swan, folding it's wings to it's back with a type of grace.

In moments it's arrival was ruined by a hissing, spitting Speck protectively placing himself in front of Allen.

The larger beast hissed back, trying to force itself through. That provoked the smaller Speck into lashing out, causing the larger white angelic dragon too also attack--

And they flew out the hole in the wall, twining and bitting and hissing, the only thing left was splashes of blood on the floor.

Howard and the children stared, and Link informed Komui that the two had now met, but only one might be coming back.

Allen, oblivious to it all, lay quietly on the floor where he had fallen. Mark and Val creeping close to his unmoving body as if it was their only safe haven in the world.

And that is how the rest found them later, moments after the white dragon and Speck had savagely vacated the room.

End13.

END DRAGON"S EYE

AN: ...Well, thats the end.

(Ducks to avoid several assorted object that were thrown)

Ok well, I think I may deserve that. But hers for the few extras... (Hides under deskand lets the slide show play)

**Slideshow**

Point 1: Why this was writen in the first place:

Well, one Sunday morning I was laying on the couch, reading **Black Powder War** by:Naomi Novik and daydreaming about D.Gray-Man.

Well, it just so happens that there is a small character in the book named Allen (Yes, Allen.) and his role is very minor. But there was one line in the book that is directly qouted right here:

**"**"Oh," Temeraire said. He put his head down very close to Laurence. "Perhaps it could have Allen?" he suggested quietly, with a darting look over his shoulder to make sure he was not overheard by that awkward young ensign, who was presently engaged in surreptitiously running his finger around the rim of the pot, and licking it clean of a few more drops of soup.**"**

(Note: Temeraire-dragon, Laurence-caption)

This one park of the book make me break down laughing, thinking of the Allen we all know and love. The dragon was talking about having Allen get a dragon instead of someone else whom he liked more ad felt possessive towards.

I thought of D.Gray and said to myself, now that would be a story. Allen and his own dragon...

In a burst of creativeness, I ran up to my room, grabbed some paper, ad outlined all that you have just finished reading. My Beta reader glimpsed the first chapter on Monday. She didn't totally hate in, but asked for more Krory, so I wrote more. The second chapter had more Krory.

I was very happy with her happiness and wrote more because I was just having so much fun writing. And so, I posted the first chapter to the public** 5-17-08.**

Point 2:**/DRDRDR/?**

Well, in truth the capital letters were just for division among moments, and looked cool. But, as I wrote, the words found their way.

D was for dragon and the R was for Rebirth, Redeemer, and Rule.

Dragon Rebirth, Dragon Redeemer, Dragon Rule.

Dragons...

Point 3: Other thing you may like to know...

Well, you may all be asking HOW/WHY Allen has gotz a dragon's eye.

What the heck is with the white dragon at the end of this chapter?

Why am I breaking off now?

When is the sequel coming?

Well ... I can't answer a lot of those questions. That would spoil the sequel. But here are a few answers:

Allenz dargon eye ... in the sequel.

White dragon ... sequel.

I'm breaking off now because this is where I've always planned to end it. And I've always been planning a sequel too.(Smile)

The sequel is coming... hmmm... long answer ...

Point 4: Sequel

Well, the sequel is coming sometime a bit before the school year begins again (Becase I get inspired the most there.) or sooner.

Let me tell you all now, I've started this thing and have gotten to chapter four. BUT, I don't plan to start releasing until the plot is secure and I have even an idea of how I'm getting to the end of it.

But don't worry, I won't leave you all hanging too long, maybe only a cople of weeks/mounths.

**End Slideshow**

Well, what did you all think?

(Audience stares at weeks/**months** quote. Then throws sharp pointy objects.)

Ahh! (Hide back under desk)Come on, give me a break here people! I gave you as full story, TELLING you all when I was updating and did so several times a week! Let me breath easy during my summer vacation in the land of the corn people!

(?)

I'm going six-thousand miles away from my computer during my two months of summer vacation. I'm going to also be working and having major 'family time' with all of my relatives. As in, going up country then down country then home. Computer time is going to be restricted.

So, sorry if you all will have to wait out the vacation without the sequel, but rest easy in knowing I will be armed with a notepad and paper and a jumpdrive for any computer time possible.

(Goes to desk) And I, like Kayday, have Exams only they are THIS MONDAY so be quiet and let me study!

Number of school days left for this writer, 2. Number of exams, 4. Time to prepare, around 48 hours.

The sequel is called **DRAGON'S LIES**.

A companion piece I am working on is going to be called **THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED**.

Whichever is first released, I hope you all like.


End file.
